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whole-half diminished scale

whole/half diminished

whole-half diminished on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the whole-half diminished scale laid out across the whole neck, from fret 0 to fret 15. The guide tones (3rd and 7th) are highlighted — they're what makes the scale's color sing. Use the key selector above to shift the shape along the neck and find the positions in your key.

What color?

A symmetric octatonic scale starting with a whole step: b3, b5, bb7 plus the major seventh, the complete sound of dim7 and its tensions. The reflex on diminished chords, perfect for chromatic motifs that transpose by minor third after minor third.

Origin & history

The other symmetrical octatonic scale (alternating whole step/half step), in its other rotation. It fully covers the diminished seventh chord, which it naturally dresses up.

Which chords to play it on?

The jazz consensus (Aebersold) recommends it on:

Try it in a real chart

Paste a chord chart into the tool: Pentania tells you, chord by chord, when this scale fits — and what other colors are open to you. Open the tool →