Also written W-H, Diminished or Dim Whole
A♭ whole-half scale contains A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, D, E, F, and G. Box 1 places the root on string 6, fret 4 for a low, dark position.
A♭ whole-half alternates whole and half steps from A♭: W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H. It shares six notes with A♭ bebop melodic minor, differing only in the fifth degree. The scale includes a tritone and a leading tone, giving it strong tension.
A♭ whole-half fits diminished chords like A♭ diminished and A♭ diminished 7th. It also works over B♭ major or B♭ minor progressions. Use it for dark, tense lines in jazz or metal.
Practise Box 1 first: the root sits on string 6, fret 4, and the range 1–5 keeps the stretch manageable. It sets up Box 2 by moving the root to string 4, fret 6.
A♭ whole-half in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 17 notes across 6 strings, from E on the low E string at fret 0 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 1, 3 | E, F, G |
| 5 (A) | 1, 2 | B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 0, 2, 3 | D, E, F |
| 3 (G) | 0, 1, 3 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 0, 2, 3 | C♭, D♭, D |
| 1 (e) | 0, 1, 3 | E, F, G |
A♭ whole-half in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 16 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to C♭ on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 5, 7 | D♭, D, E |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6 | G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6, 7 | C♭, D♭, D |
| 2 (B) | 5, 6 | E, F |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
A♭ whole-half in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 17 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 7, 8 | E, F |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 7, 9 | D♭, D, E |
| 2 (B) | 6, 8, 9 | F, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
A♭ whole-half in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 17 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to E on the high e string at fret 12. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 10, 12 | D♭, D, E |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11, 12 | C♭, D♭, D |
| 3 (G) | 9, 10, 12 | E, F, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 12 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 10, 12 | D♭, D, E |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ whole-half scale contains A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, D, E, F, and G. The pattern alternates whole and half steps. It is also called A♭ diminished scale. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ whole-half works over A♭ diminished and A♭ diminished 7th chords. It also fits B♭ major and B♭ minor chords. The scale's tritone and leading tone create strong resolution.
A♭ whole-half and A♭ bebop melodic minor share six notes. The whole-half scale has D and E instead of E♭ and F♭. This changes the fifth degree and adds a tritone.