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G♭ half-whole diminished Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, Gb, Abb, Bbb, Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

A string: Bbb, Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Abb, Bbb at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

D string: Eb, Fb, Gb, Abb, Bbb, Bb, C, Db at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

G string: Abb, Bbb, Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Abb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

B string: C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Abb, Bbb, Bb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

High E string: Fb, Gb, Abb, Bbb, Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

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Gb half-whole diminished

The half-whole diminished scale alternates half and whole steps through eight notes, and is jazz's standard sound over a 13b9 dominant chord: it contains the b9, #9, #11, natural 13 and both chord 3rd and 7th. Because it repeats every minor 3rd, one fingering transposes in minor-3rd jumps, and the same notes serve four different dominant chords.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

G♭

I

A𝄫

bII

B𝄫

bIII

B♭

III

C

#IV

D♭

V

E♭

VI

F♭

bVII

Same notes, different mode

Gb half-whole diminished uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

G diminishedBb diminishedDb diminishedFb diminished

half whole diminished in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Play Gb half-whole diminished over a Gb13b9 dominant chord; it contains the b9 (G), #9 (A), natural 13 (Eb) and both guide tones.
  • Its minor-3rd symmetry means one lick serves four dominant chords: transpose in three-fret jumps.
  • Build lines from the two diminished 7th arpeggios interlocked inside the scale, then resolve to the I chord a 4th up from Gb.
  • Try the classic pattern: half step up, minor 3rd down, repeated through the scale for an instant jazz-fusion sequence.

How to play G♭ half-whole diminished on guitar

A capo on fret 2 renames this as E half-whole, so the shapes transfer from a key with open strings in it. Roots without the capo land at fret 2 on both E strings, fret 9 on the A string, fret 4 on the D string. Open low E and high E spell Fb here, a minor seventh over the root, which means they are not drone material. Box work runs out at fret 6.

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