Half-Whole Diminished Piano Scales
The half-whole diminished scale, also known as the diminished scale or dominant diminished scale, is an eight-note symmetric scale alternating between half and whole steps. It follows the interval pattern: half, whole, half, whole, half, whole, half, whole (H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W), or 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 in semitones. This symmetrical structure creates a tense, dissonant sound perfect for jazz improvisation over dominant seventh flat-nine chords. The scale's symmetry means it repeats every minor third, resulting in only three unique diminished scales. It's an essential tool for jazz musicians, providing rich harmonic possibilities and creating sophisticated, modern sounds in bebop, post-bop, and contemporary jazz contexts.
C H-W dim
C Half-Whole Diminished C# H-W dim
C# Half-Whole Diminished D♭ H-W dim
D♭ Half-Whole Diminished D H-W dim
D Half-Whole Diminished D♯ H-W dim
D♯ Half-Whole Diminished Eb H-W dim
Eb Half-Whole Diminished E H-W dim
E Half-Whole Diminished E♯ H-W dim
E♯ Half-Whole Diminished F♭ H-W dim
F♭ Half-Whole Diminished F H-W dim
F Half-Whole Diminished F# H-W dim
F# Half-Whole Diminished G♭ H-W dim
G♭ Half-Whole Diminished G H-W dim
G Half-Whole Diminished G♯ H-W dim
G♯ Half-Whole Diminished Ab H-W dim
Ab Half-Whole Diminished A H-W dim
A Half-Whole Diminished A# H-W dim
A# Half-Whole Diminished Bb H-W dim
Bb Half-Whole Diminished B H-W dim
B Half-Whole Diminished B♯ H-W dim
B♯ Half-Whole Diminished C♭ H-W dim
C♭ Half-Whole Diminished