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

guitar scale

G♭ diminished (half–whole)

G♭1A♭♭♭2B♭♭♭3B♭3C♯4D♭5E♭6F♭♭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 F♯ diminished (half–whole).

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Gb 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

G♭HA♭♭WB♭♭HB♭WCHD♭WE♭HF♭WG♭

What is true of it

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

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

Written correctly it needs 9 alterations, A♭♭ and B♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 52 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

CmajorCmminorCdimdiminishedC7dominant seventhCm7minor seventhCm7♭5half-diminished seventhD♭dimdiminishedE♭major

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

Other scales on G♭

G♭ whole tonesymmetricG♭ diminished (whole–half)symmetricG♭ majormajorG♭ natural minorminorG♭ 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