Diminished Scale : Using Whole-Half and Half-Whole Scales

by Steve
(NY)

What chords do the half whole and whole half scales work over.

If I improvise using the major, minor, harmonic minor or melodic minor scale, it sounds O.K. to me, but I have not found any chords that the diminished scales sound good over. Maybe my ear is listening for something less dissonant!

So if a piece is in the key of C major, is there a diminished/symmetrical scale that will sound good over any or all of the chords in that key.

Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bdim7 ?

Would you play the B half whole in the key of C since instead of the Locrian mode?

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Hello Steve,

That's a question that I unfortunately never got the chance to cover here, on the website... Now's the time!

First off, let me start by saying that the Whole-Half and Half-Whole are not different entities, they only reflect the way you choose to see it, in theory.

Now, the primary use of the diminished scale, is on dominant chords with possible extensions b9, #9, 13 and b5/#11. It's usually not used when there's a #5 / b13.

So if you see a chord symbol such as G13(b9), it matches the diminished scale perfectly. Here's why :


Let's take a good-old G dominant 7th chord.

G B D F = G7

Let's extend it with the b9 and forget about the root.

B D F Ab = G7(b9)

That's found naturally in C harmonic minor. We usually call "B diminished 7th" chord, all minor thirds intervals (B D F Ab).


And now let's approach the G7(b9) chord-tones with a half-step below.

A# --> B
C# --> D
E ----> F
G ----> Ab

(Notes on the left are half-step approaches from below "into" the notes that define G7(b9) chord.)

Let's rename all the notes we got above, including the approach notes and start on G. We're getting the diminished scale, starting with a half-step.

G Ab Bb B Db D E F

Analysis of degrees relating to G7 :


G Ab Bb B Db D E F
1 b9 #9 3 #11 5 13 b7

So G7 dominant with b9, #9, #11 and 13th.


So, your question was really about how you can relate all this to the major scale, right?

My answer is : don't!

This diminished scale / sound is mostly used as a tension device. You could (and should) use it when resolving to the major scale, but it doesn't relate, in theory anyways, to the major stuff you're used to.

For example, if you're improvising on a II-V-I in C major :

Dm7 G7 Cmaj

...you can apply the principles discussed above to the G7 chord, even though the b9 is not in the chord symbol. That's the way jazzmen do it : the diminished sound become a whole "harmonic appogiatura", if you'll excuse the expression.


Final note :

A very good Montreal saxophonist, Alex Coté, once told me a little about his practice techniques with the diminished scale.

He said that he employed the major triads that exist naturally in there as a point of departure. He would use only one triad at first, applying the different approaches from above and below.

Then he'd work with 2 at a time, the 3, then the 4 of them, with approaches (which become the entire diminished scale)... He said it really made him hear the scale in and out.

Can you find the 4 major triads in that G13(b9) sound?

G Ab Bb B Db D E F

A little tip : the 4 major triads are all a minor third apart.


To summarize, the symmetrical diminished scale is a sound used as a tension in music, not necessarily making sense with the theory of the diatonic scales. Learn to use it and identify it in context. All jazz legends used this sound in their improvisations.

...and most of all : listen to Coltrane a whole lot. (or a whole-half lot if you prefer).

Practice well,

Marc-A