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E diminished (half-whole) scale

Symmetric8 notes · G♯ + A♯ + C♯

Ediminished (half-whole)

KeyboardRight hand · 1 = thumb

RootIn scale

Fingering guideOne octave · both hands

Crossing
Fingering for E diminished (half-whole), going up
HandEFGG♯A♯BC♯DE
Right hand41thumb under2341thumb under234
Left hand2144 over32144 over32

1 thumb · 2 index · 3 middle · 4 ring · 5 little

Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto F, then the thumb tucks under onto B. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto G, then finger 4 crosses over onto C♯.

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.

Hand
Tempo
100 BPM

How to read a scale

Steps, degrees, fingers.

  1. The step pattern

    Every scale is a pattern of whole and half steps. E diminished (half-whole) goes H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W.

  2. The degrees

    Number the notes from the root: 1 E, ♭2 F, ♭3 G, 3 G♯, ♯4 A♯, 5 B, 6 C♯, ♭7 D. The degrees stay the same in every key, so a pattern learned in E works in any other.

  3. The fingering

    Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto F, then the thumb tucks under onto B. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto G, then finger 4 crosses over onto C♯. 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♭

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.

Download Melodio

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