Bb Whole-Half Scale Explained
Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, G and A are the eight notes of the Bb whole-half scale. Only Fb is unusual, and it is an E on the fretboard.
The E whole-half and G whole-half scales contain the same pitches, so choose whichever name you can read fastest. The root is on the 1st fret of the A string and the 6th fret of the low E string. To see which sounds it suits, check scales over chords.
Play the Bb whole-half scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Bb whole-half scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | 1 | Root | 0 |
| C | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| Db | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| Eb | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Fb | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| Gb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| G | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| A | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
Bb whole-half scale notes:
How the whole-half scale is built:
The whole-half scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11. That makes it a 8-note scale.
It is also known as Diminished Scale (Whole-Half).
Bb Whole-Half Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
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 whole-half scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
