B diminished (half-whole) scale
Symmetric8 notes · D♯ + E♯ + F♯ + G♯
Bdiminished (half-whole)
KeyboardRight hand · 1 = thumb
Fingering guideOne octave · both hands
| Hand | B | C | D | D♯ | E♯ | F♯ | G♯ | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1thumb under | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Left hand | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 44 over | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Chords in the key
Stacking every other note of a diminished scale gives diminished chords: the scale holds two diminished seventh chords a half step apart.
How to read a scale
Steps, degrees, fingers.
The step pattern
Every scale is a pattern of whole and half steps. B diminished (half-whole) goes H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W.
The degrees
Number the notes from the root: 1 B, ♭2 C, ♭3 D, 3 D♯, ♯4 E♯, 5 F♯, 6 G♯, ♭7 A. The degrees stay the same in every key, so a pattern learned in B works in any other.
The fingering
Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto E♯. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto F♯. Practise the crossings slowly; once they're smooth, raise the tempo.
All 216 scales
Every scale and mode on every root, each with its own page.
C
D♭
D
E♭
E
F
G♭
G
A♭
A
B♭
Practise it on a real keyboard.
Plug in a MIDI keyboard: the Melodio app shows every scale with its fingering and chords, and names what you play. Free, offline.
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