Diminished (half–whole) · A · Guitar
The A Dim. H–W scale is A B♭ C D♭ E♭ E G♭ G — formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, step pattern H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W. Use it over A7♭9: it is the scale for dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play loops the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 5. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from A | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | unison (0 semitones) | H |
| ♭2 | B♭ | minor 2nd (1 semitones) | W |
| ♭3 | C | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | H |
| 3 | D♭ | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W |
| ♯4 | E♭ | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | E | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | G♭ | major 6th (9 semitones) | H |
| ♭7 | G | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: A7♭9 (A – C – E♭ – G♭). Use it for: dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
Common questions
A B♭ C D♭ E♭ E G♭ G. As scale degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7. It has 8 notes.
A Dim. H–W fits A7♭9 and, more generally, dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 — the step pattern from the root is H W H W H W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root A on the low E string at fret 5, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 5, E-string fret 6, E-string fret 8, E-string fret 9, A-string fret 6, A-string fret 7, A-string fret 9, D-string fret 5, D-string fret 7. Every A on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Dim. H–W pages: Diminished (half–whole) hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from A