SCALE REFERENCE

D Diminished (Half–Whole)

D – D♯ – F – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C1 b2 b3 3 #4 5 6 b7

Half then whole steps — the scale over a 7b9 chord, giving the b9, #9, #11 and 13. The other half of the octatonic pair.

Notes & degrees
D1D♯b2Fb3F♯3G♯#4A5B6Cb7
NotesD, D#, F, F#, G#, A, B, C
StepsH – W – H – W – H – W – H – W (W = whole, H = half)
Also calledDominant Diminished
Piano
DFABCD♯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 D

Core scales & modes

D MajorD Natural MinorD Harmonic MinorD Melodic MinorD DorianD PhrygianD LydianD MixolydianD Locrian

Pentatonic & blues

D Major PentatonicD Minor PentatonicD BluesD Major Blues

Jazz & altered

D Harmonic MajorD Phrygian DominantD Lydian DominantD AlteredD Bebop Dominant

Symmetric

D Whole ToneD Diminished (Whole–Half)D Augmented Scale

World & exotic

D Hungarian MinorD Double Harmonic MajorD Neapolitan Minor
Diminished (Half–Whole) 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.