guitar scale
A diminished (whole–half)
A1B2C♭3D4E♭♭5F♭6F♯6G♯7
Eight notes alternating whole step and half step. Symmetrical, so it repeats every minor third.
Written out
Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.
The step pattern
AWBHCWDHE♭WFHF♯WG♯HA
What is true of it
A diminished (whole–half) is A, B, C, D, E♭, F, F♯ and G♯, and back to A.
Its steps are W – H – W – H – W – H – W – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.
Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 51 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.
Chords made only of these notes
CdimdiminishedDmajorDmminorDdimdiminishedD7dominant seventhDm7minor seventhDm7♭5half-diminished seventhE♭dimdiminished
Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 8 sounds, not chosen.
Other scales on A
A whole tonesymmetricA diminished (half–whole)symmetricA majormajorA natural minorminorA harmonic minorminor
C dim W-HC♯ dim W-HD♭ dim W-HD dim W-HD♯ dim W-HE♭ dim W-HE dim W-HF dim W-Hall 374