A Whole-Half Scale on Guitar
Eight notes, alternating whole and half steps: A, B, C, D, Eb, F, F# and G#. That is the A whole-half scale, also known as the diminished scale.
The open A string is the root, and the 5th fret of the low E string repeats it. The pattern repeats every three frets, so A, C, Eb and Gb whole-half scales share all eight pitches.
Play the A whole-half scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the A whole-half scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Root | 0 |
| B | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| C | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Eb | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| F | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| F# | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| G# | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
A whole-half scale notes:
How the whole-half scale is built:
The whole-half scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11. That makes it a 8-note scale.
It is also known as Diminished Scale (Whole-Half).
A Whole-Half Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
The whole-half scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
