Ab Half-Whole Scale Explained
The Ab half-whole scale includes one double flat: Ab, Bbb, B, C, D, Eb, F and Gb. You can fret Bbb as A, and the rest need no special care.
Begin with the root on the 4th fret of the low E string, then add the 11th fret of the A string. Slide three frets and you reach B, D and F, which hold the same eight notes.
Play the Ab half-whole scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Ab half-whole scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bbb | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| B | #2 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| C | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| D | #4 | Tritone | 6 |
| Eb | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| F | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| Gb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
Ab half-whole scale notes:
How the half-whole scale is built:
The half-whole scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7, which gives the step pattern H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10. That makes it a 8-note scale.
It is also known as Diminished Scale (Half-Whole) and Octatonic.
Ab Half-Whole Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (G)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
The half-whole scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
