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Fig. 1 · Bb diminished (half–whole) · first 12 frets

guitar scale

B♭ diminished (half–whole)

B♭1C♭♭2D♭♭3D3E♯4F5G6A♭♭7

The same eight notes started a half step earlier: the scale that spells a dominant seventh with a flat ninth and a sharp ninth at once.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♯ diminished (half–whole).

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Bb diminished (half–whole), ascending

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

B♭HC♭WD♭HDWEHFWGHA♭WB♭

What is true of it

B♭ diminished (half–whole) is B♭, C♭, D♭, D, E, F, G and A♭, and back to B♭.

Its steps are H – W – H – W – H – W – H – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 53 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

D♭majorD♭mminorD♭dimdiminishedD♭7dominant seventhD♭m7minor seventhD♭m7♭5half-diminished seventhDdimdiminishedEmajor

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 8 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on B♭

B♭ whole tonesymmetricB♭ diminished (whole–half)symmetricB♭ majormajorB♭ natural minorminorB♭ harmonic minorminor

C dim H-WC♯ dim H-WD♭ dim H-WD dim H-WD♯ dim H-WE♭ dim H-WE dim H-WF dim H-Wall 374