Guitar scale · diminished scale
A Whole-Half Diminished Scale
8-note symmetrical scale of alternating whole and half steps: the scale that fits a diminished 7th chord.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Whole-Half Diminished Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|---------------------------------5-7-8-| B|---------------------------6-7-9-------| G|---------------------5-7-8-------------| D|---------------6-7-9-------------------| A|-------5-6-8-9-------------------------| E|-5-7-8---------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------7-8-10-11-| B|-----------------------------------9-10-----------| G|-------------------------7-8-10-11----------------| D|------------------7-9-10--------------------------| A|-----------8-9-11---------------------------------| E|-7-8-10-11----------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|--------------------------------------10-12-13----------| G|-----------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|------------------9-10-12-13----------------------------| A|----------9-11-12---------------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-----------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|----------------------------------------13-15-16----------| G|-------------------------------13-14-16-------------------| D|-------------------12-13-15-16----------------------------| A|----------12-14-15----------------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|----------------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|-------------------------------14-16-17-------------------| D|----------------------15-16-18----------------------------| A|----------14-15-17-18-------------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------------|
How to play A Whole-Half Diminished on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, ♭5, 6), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| ♭3 | C |
| 4 | D |
| ♭5 | Eb |
| ♭6 | F |
| 6 | F# |
| 7 | G# |
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Whole-Half Diminished Scale?
- The A Whole-Half Diminished Scale has 8 notes: A, B, C, D, Eb, F, F#, G#.
- What is the formula of the whole-half diminished scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7, which is the step pattern W H W H W H W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Whole-Half Diminished on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.