About the G sharp Diminished Half-Whole scale
G sharp Diminished Half-Whole is used for jazz improvisation over dominant seventh chords. Think of it as the diminished scale starting with a half step, tailor made for dominant chords.
Its notes are G♯, A, B, B♯, D, D♯, E♯, and F♯. The formula is H W H W H W H W. It is the second mode of F♯ Diminished.
Also called Symmetric Diminished and Dominant Diminished.
Three of the notes in G♯ Diminished Half-Whole are black keys, G♯, D♯, and F♯. That raised fourth spells out to the white key D. The key runs four white keys in a row on the piano.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | G#G♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | AA | Minor 2nd |
| 3 | BB | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | B#B♯ | Major 3rd |
| 5 | DD | Augmented 4th |
| 6 | D#D♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 7 | E#E♯ | Major 6th |
| 8 | F#F♯ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | H W H W H W H W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Diminished Half-Whole in other keys
C Diminished Half-Whole scaleC sharp Diminished Half-Whole scaleD Diminished Half-Whole scaleD sharp Diminished Half-Whole scaleE Diminished Half-Whole scaleF Diminished Half-Whole scaleF sharp Diminished Half-Whole scaleG Diminished Half-Whole scaleA Diminished Half-Whole scaleA sharp Diminished Half-Whole scaleB Diminished Half-Whole scale
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.