Guitar · scales and modes
C, E♭, G♭ and A diminished half–whole scale on guitar
The C, E♭, G♭ and A diminished half–whole scales have the same notes, so this one page covers all 4, written from C: C, D♭, E♭, E, G♭, G, A, B♭. Also called Messiaen 2. Messiaen's second mode (octatonic), half–whole form — the standard jazz diminished scale.
| Note | C | D♭ | E♭ | E | G♭ | G | A | B♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | 1 | ♭2 | ♭3 | 3 | ♭5 | 5 | 6 | ♭7 |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
C diminished half–whole on the whole neck
Every C diminished half–whole note from the open strings to fret 15, in standard E tuning (E A D G B E), by name; by degree under "Show more".
- C diminished half–whole
Show 1 more neck: by degreeShow less
- C diminished half–whole
C diminished half–whole in 5 positions
The neck split into the hand positions Practice Lab practices, one for each place a C falls on a string, with the notes its scale run fingers there.
Show 2 more positionsShow less
Triads in C diminished half–whole
| Degree | Chord | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | C major arpeggio |
| 1 | Cm | C minor arpeggio |
| 1 | Cdim | C diminished arpeggio |
| ♭2 | D♭dim | C♯ diminished arpeggio |
| ♭3 | E♭ | E♭ major arpeggio |
| ♭3 | E♭m | E♭ minor arpeggio |
| ♭3 | E♭dim | D♯ diminished arpeggio |
| 3 | Edim | E diminished arpeggio |
| ♭5 | G♭ | F♯ major arpeggio |
| ♭5 | G♭m | F♯ minor arpeggio |
| ♭5 | G♭dim | F♯ diminished arpeggio |
| 5 | Gdim | G diminished arpeggio |
| 6 | A | A major arpeggio |
| 6 | Am | A minor arpeggio |
| 6 | Adim | A diminished arpeggio |
| ♭7 | B♭dim | B♭ diminished arpeggio |
Seventh chords in C diminished half–whole
| Degree | Chord | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cm7 | Cm7 arpeggio · Cm7 drop 2 · Cm7 drop 3 · Cm7 drop 2 and 4 |
| 1 | C7 | C7 arpeggio · C7 drop 2 · C7 drop 3 · C7 drop 2 and 4 |
| 1 | Cm7♭5 | Cm7♭5 arpeggio · Cm7♭5 drop 2 · Cm7♭5 drop 3 · Cm7♭5 drop 2 and 4 |
| 1 | Cdim7 | Cdim7 arpeggio |
| 1 | C | – |
| ♭2 | D♭dim7 | C♯dim7 arpeggio |
| ♭3 | E♭m7 | E♭m7 arpeggio · E♭m7 drop 2 · E♭m7 drop 3 · E♭m7 drop 2 and 4 |
| ♭3 | E♭7 | E♭7 arpeggio · E♭7 drop 2 · E♭7 drop 3 · E♭7 drop 2 and 4 |
| ♭3 | E♭m7♭5 | D♯m7♭5 arpeggio · D♯m7♭5 drop 2 · D♯m7♭5 drop 3 · D♯m7♭5 drop 2 and 4 |
| ♭3 | E♭dim7 | D♯dim7 arpeggio |
| ♭3 | E♭ | – |
| 3 | Edim7 | Edim7 arpeggio |
| ♭5 | G♭m7 | F♯m7 arpeggio · F♯m7 drop 2 · F♯m7 drop 3 · F♯m7 drop 2 and 4 |
| ♭5 | G♭7 | F♯7 arpeggio · F♯7 drop 2 · F♯7 drop 3 · F♯7 drop 2 and 4 |
| ♭5 | G♭m7♭5 | F♯m7♭5 arpeggio · F♯m7♭5 drop 2 · F♯m7♭5 drop 3 · F♯m7♭5 drop 2 and 4 |
| ♭5 | G♭dim7 | F♯dim7 arpeggio |
| ♭5 | G♭ | – |
| 5 | Gdim7 | Gdim7 arpeggio |
| 6 | Am7 | Am7 arpeggio · Am7 drop 2 · Am7 drop 3 · Am7 drop 2 and 4 |
| 6 | A7 | A7 arpeggio · A7 drop 2 · A7 drop 3 · A7 drop 2 and 4 |
| 6 | Am7♭5 | Am7♭5 arpeggio · Am7♭5 drop 2 · Am7♭5 drop 3 · Am7♭5 drop 2 and 4 |
| 6 | Adim7 | Adim7 arpeggio |
| 6 | A | – |
| ♭7 | B♭dim7 | A♯dim7 arpeggio |
Same notes, other names
These scales use exactly the notes of C diminished half–whole, starting from another root.
Diminished half–whole in every key
- C, E♭, G♭ and A diminished half–whole
- E, G, B♭ and C♯ diminished half–whole
- D, F, A♭ and B diminished half–whole
Practice it in Practice Lab
Practice C diminished half–whole in every position, at your tempo, with a plan that adapts. Free, in your browser, no account.
Open it in Practice Lab