Diminished (half–whole) · D · Piano
The D Dim. H–W scale is D E♭ F G♭ A♭ A B C — formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, step pattern H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W. Use it over D7♭9: it is the scale for dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale. Below, every note is marked on the two-octave keyboard; press play to hear it on a synthesized piano while each note lights up, or tap any key to sound that note.
Visualizer
Piano
Guitar · standard tuning
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). “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 D | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | unison (0 semitones) | H |
| ♭2 | E♭ | minor 2nd (1 semitones) | W |
| ♭3 | F | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | H |
| 3 | G♭ | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W |
| ♯4 | A♭ | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | A | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | B | major 6th (9 semitones) | H |
| ♭7 | C | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: D7♭9 (D – F – A♭ – B). Use it for: dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
Common questions
D E♭ F G♭ A♭ A B C. As scale degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7. It has 8 notes.
D Dim. H–W fits D7♭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).
Play D E♭ F G♭ A♭ A B C D ascending from the root, then descend. The keyboard above shows every root in gold, chord tones outlined in amber and the remaining scale tones in teal; use the Play button to hear the fingering tempo.
Keep going
Same scale on guitar · all Dim. H–W pages: Diminished (half–whole) hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from D