So What Scale

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Chords of the scale tap one to hear it and see it on the instrument

Formula W whole step · H half step

Degrees and intervals

Same notes as

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C diminished (half-whole) scale on mandolin

C diminished (half-whole) has 8 notes: C D♭ E♭ E G♭ G A B♭. Degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♭5 5 6 ♭7. Formula: H W H W H W H W.

What notes are in the C diminished (half-whole) scale?

C, D♭, E♭, E, G♭, G, A and B♭. It has 8 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is H W H W H W H W.

What does C diminished (half-whole) sound like, and when do you use it?

Symmetric: it repeats every three semitones. Elegant tension. Use it over 7♭9 (diminished dominant).

Chord progressions to improvise with C diminished (half-whole)

In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in C:

C diminished (half-whole) positions on mandolin

In G D A E tuning, keeping the hand in one area of the neck, C diminished (half-whole) is played in 8 positions:

  1. Position 1: frets 5 to 10 (starts on the root)
  2. Position 2: frets 6 to 11
  3. Position 3: frets 8 to 13
  4. Position 4: frets 9 to 14
  5. Position 5: frets 11 to 16
  6. Position 6: frets 0 to 5
  7. Position 7: frets 2 to 7
  8. Position 8: frets 3 to 8

Same notes as

E♭ diminished (half-whole) · F♯ diminished (half-whole) · A diminished (half-whole) · D♭ diminished (whole-half) · E diminished (whole-half) · G diminished (whole-half) · B♭ diminished (whole-half)

Diminished (half-whole) in other keys

CD♭DE♭EFF♯GA♭AB♭B

On other instruments

C diminished (half-whole) on piano · C diminished (half-whole) on guitar · C diminished (half-whole) on bass · C diminished (half-whole) on ukulele · C diminished (half-whole) on banjo · C diminished (half-whole) on violin · C diminished (half-whole) on viola · C diminished (half-whole) on cello · C diminished (half-whole) on alto sax · C diminished (half-whole) on tenor sax · C diminished (half-whole) on trumpet · C diminished (half-whole) on flute · All scales