Also written W-H, Diminished or Dim Whole
C♯ whole-half contains C♯, D♯, E, F♯, F♯♯, G♯♯, A♯, B♯. Box 1 places the root on string 3, fret 4 for a compact diminished run.
C♯ whole-half is an eight-note diminished scale built by alternating whole and half steps. It differs from C♯ bebop melodic minor by raising the fifth to G♯♯ and adding F♯♯. The scale contains a tritone between C♯ and F♯♯ and a leading tone B♯. Compare it with C♯ bebop melodic minor.
Use C♯ whole-half over C♯ diminished and C♯ diminished 7th chords. It also fits E♭ major, E♭ minor, E diminished, and F♯ major. The leading tone B♯ pulls strongly to C♯, making it effective in dominant contexts. For chord options, see C♯ diminished and E♭ major.
Practise Box 1 first. It keeps the root under your first finger and spans frets 0–3, ideal for learning the alternating step pattern.
C♯ whole-half in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 11 notes across 4 strings, from E on the E string at fret 0 up to A♯ on the G string at fret 3. No root falls inside this box; it sits between two of them.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 2, 3 | E, F♯, F♯♯ |
| 3 (A) | 0, 1, 3 | G♯♯, A♯, B♯ |
| 2 (D) | 1, 2 | D♯, E |
| 1 (G) | 0, 2, 3 | F♯♯, G♯♯, A♯ |
C♯ whole-half in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 11 notes across 4 strings, from F♯ on the E string at fret 2 up to B♯ on the G string at fret 5. The root falls on the A string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 3, 5 | F♯, F♯♯, G♯♯ |
| 3 (A) | 3, 4 | B♯, C♯ |
| 2 (D) | 2, 4, 5 | E, F♯, F♯♯ |
| 1 (G) | 2, 3, 5 | G♯♯, A♯, B♯ |
C♯ whole-half in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 11 notes across 4 strings, from G♯♯ on the E string at fret 5 up to D♯ on the G string at fret 8. The root falls on the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 5, 6, 8 | G♯♯, A♯, B♯ |
| 3 (A) | 6, 7 | D♯, E |
| 2 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | F♯♯, G♯♯, A♯ |
| 1 (G) | 5, 6, 8 | B♯, C♯, D♯ |
C♯ whole-half in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 11 notes across 4 strings, from C♯ on the E string at fret 9 up to F♯♯ on the G string at fret 12. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | C♯, D♯, E |
| 3 (A) | 9, 10, 12 | F♯, F♯♯, G♯♯ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 11 | B♯, C♯ |
| 1 (G) | 9, 11, 12 | E, F♯, F♯♯ |
C♯ whole-half in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 11 notes across 4 strings, from D♯ on the E string at fret 11 up to G♯♯ on the G string at fret 14. The root falls on the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 12, 14 | D♯, E, F♯ |
| 3 (A) | 12, 13 | G♯♯, A♯ |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | C♯, D♯, E |
| 1 (G) | 11, 12, 14 | F♯, F♯♯, G♯♯ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C♯ whole-half contains C♯, D♯, E, F♯, F♯♯, G♯♯, A♯, B♯. The scale alternates whole and half steps from the root. It is an eight-note diminished scale. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
C♯ whole-half fits C♯ diminished and C♯ diminished 7th chords. It also works over E♭ major, E♭ minor, E diminished, and F♯ major. The scale's leading tone B♯ resolves to C♯.
C♯ whole-half raises the fifth to G♯♯ and adds F♯♯ compared to C♯ bebop melodic minor. The bebop scale has a natural fifth G♯ and no F♯♯. This gives the whole-half scale its diminished colour.