SCALE REFERENCE

C Diminished (Whole–Half)

C – D – D♯ – F – F♯ – G♯ – A – B1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7

Eight notes alternating whole then half steps — the scale over a diminished 7th chord. Fully symmetric: it repeats every minor third.

Notes & degrees
C1D2D♯b3F4F♯b5G♯b6A6B7
NotesC, D, D#, F, F#, G#, A, B
StepsW – H – W – H – W – H – W – H (W = whole, H = half)
Also calledOctatonic
Piano
CDFABD♯F♯G♯
Guitar & ukulele — every position (frets 0–12)
357912eFF♯G♯ABCDD♯BBCDD♯FF♯G♯ABGG♯ABCDD♯FF♯DDD♯FF♯G♯ABCDAABCDD♯FF♯G♯AEFF♯G♯ABCDD♯

Root notes are red. The full map of the scale on the guitar neck; the common box patterns are groups of these notes.

357912AABCDD♯FF♯G♯AEFF♯G♯ABCDD♯CCDD♯FF♯G♯ABCGG♯ABCDD♯FF♯

The same scale on a ukulele in standard G–C–E–A tuning.

Other scales on C

Core scales & modes

C MajorC Natural MinorC Harmonic MinorC Melodic MinorC DorianC PhrygianC LydianC MixolydianC Locrian

Pentatonic & blues

C Major PentatonicC Minor PentatonicC BluesC Major Blues

Jazz & altered

C Harmonic MajorC Phrygian DominantC Lydian DominantC AlteredC Bebop Dominant

Symmetric

C Whole ToneC Diminished (Half–Whole)C Augmented Scale

World & exotic

C Hungarian MinorC Double Harmonic MajorC Neapolitan Minor
Diminished (Whole–Half) on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭D♯EFF♯G♭GA♭G♯AB♭A♯B
Keep exploring

See the diatonic chords with audio in the Scale & Chord Finder, find where a key sits among the others on the Circle of Fifths, or start the free Cloud Atelier music guides.