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Fig. 1 · B diminished (half–whole) · first 12 frets

guitar scale

B diminished (half–whole)

B1C♭2D♭3D♯3E♯♯4F♯5G♯6A♭7

The same eight notes started a half step earlier: the scale that spells a dominant seventh with a flat ninth and a sharp ninth at once.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · B diminished (half–whole), ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

BHCWDHD♯WE♯HF♯WG♯HAWB

What is true of it

B diminished (half–whole) is B, C, D, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯ and A, and back to B.

Its steps are H – W – H – W – H – W – H – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 51 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

CdimdiminishedDmajorDmminorDdimdiminishedD7dominant seventhDm7minor seventhDm7♭5half-diminished seventhD♯dimdiminished

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 8 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on B

B whole tonesymmetricB diminished (whole–half)symmetricB majormajorB natural minorminorB harmonic minorminor

C dim H-WC♯ dim H-WD♭ dim H-WD dim H-WD♯ dim H-WE♭ dim H-WE dim H-WF dim H-Wall 374