About the D Diminished scale
D Diminished is used for jazz solos over diminished chords and tense, suspenseful film cues. Think of it as a symmetrical eight-note scale that alternates whole and half steps. It is D Bebop Melodic Minor with the fifth lowered.
Its notes are D, E, F, G, A♭, B♭, B, and C♯. The formula is W H W H W H W H.
Also called Diminished Whole-Half and Octatonic.
On the piano, this scale touches the black keys A♭, B♭, and C♯. D Diminished includes a stretch of four consecutive white keys.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | DD | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | EE | Major 2nd |
| 3 | FF | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | GG | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | AbA♭ | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | BbB♭ | Minor 6th |
| 7 | BB | Major 6th |
| 8 | C#C♯ | Major 7th |
| Steps | W H W H W H W H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Diminished in other keys
C Diminished scaleD flat Diminished scaleE flat Diminished scaleE Diminished scaleF Diminished scaleG flat Diminished scaleG Diminished scaleA flat Diminished scaleA Diminished scaleB flat Diminished scaleB Diminished scale
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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