Diminished (half–whole) · B♭ · Guitar
The B♭ Dim. H–W scale is B♭ B D♭ D E F G A♭ — formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, step pattern H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W. Use it over B♭7♭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 6. “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 B♭ | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | unison (0 semitones) | H |
| ♭2 | B | minor 2nd (1 semitones) | W |
| ♭3 | D♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | H |
| 3 | D | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W |
| ♯4 | E | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | F | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | G | major 6th (9 semitones) | H |
| ♭7 | A♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: B♭7♭9 (B♭ – D♭ – E – G). Use it for: dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
Common questions
B♭ B D♭ D E F G A♭. As scale degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7. It has 8 notes.
B♭ Dim. H–W fits B♭7♭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 B♭ on the low E string at fret 6, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 6, E-string fret 7, E-string fret 9, E-string fret 10, A-string fret 7, A-string fret 8, A-string fret 10, D-string fret 6, D-string fret 8. Every B♭ 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 B♭