About the B flat 7b5 Diminished scale
B flat 7b5 Diminished is used for jazz solos over dominant chords with a flat fifth. Think of it as a dominant scale with a flat fifth and a chromatic seventh.
Its notes are B♭, C, D, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, and A. The formula is W W H H W W H H.
Also called Messiaen Mode 6.
E, A, and D are open guitar strings that sit inside the scale, ready to drone under a riff. The lowest B♭ on a standard-tuned guitar sits at the 1st fret of the A string. With a capo at the first fret, B♭ 7b5 Diminished can be played with A-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
8-position system
8 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method. This scale is symmetric, so the same box shape repeats up the neck.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | BbB♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | CC | Major 2nd |
| 3 | DD | Major 3rd |
| 4 | EbE♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | FbF♭ | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | GbG♭ | Minor 6th |
| 7 | AbA♭ | Minor 7th |
| 8 | AA | Major 7th |
| Steps | W W H H W W H H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-2-1-1-2-2-1-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
7b5 Diminished in other keys
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