Ab Blues Diminished Scale on Ukulele: Notes

How it is built

A♭1B♭♭♭2C♭♭3C3E♭♭♭5E♭5F6G♭♭7

Formula 1, ♭2, ♭3, 3, ♭5, 5, 6, ♭7

Chords these notes build

A♭1A♭ Major A♭ Minor A♭ 5th A♭ 7th A♭ Minor 7th A♭ 7th Flat 5 A♭ Minor 7th Flat 5th A♭ 6th A♭ Minor 6th A♭ Diminished A♭ Diminished 7th
B♭♭♭2A Diminished A Diminished 7th A Diminished Major 7th
C♭♭3B Major B Minor B 5th B 7th B Minor 7th B 7th Flat 5 B Minor 7th Flat 5th B 6th B Minor 6th B Diminished B Diminished 7th
C3C Diminished C Diminished 7th C Diminished Major 7th
E♭♭♭5D Major D Minor D 5th D 7th D Minor 7th D 7th Flat 5 D Minor 7th Flat 5th D 6th D Minor 6th D Diminished D Diminished 7th
E♭5E♭ Diminished E♭ Diminished 7th E♭ Diminished Major 7th
F6F Major F Minor F 5th F 7th F Minor 7th F 7th Flat 5 F Minor 7th Flat 5th F 6th F Minor 6th F Diminished F Diminished 7th
G♭♭7F♯ Diminished F♯ Diminished 7th F♯ Diminished Major 7th

How do you play the A♭ blues diminished scale on ukulele?

A♭ blues diminished in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 10 notes across 4 strings, from C on the C string at fret 0 up to C on the A string at fret 3. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
4 (G)	1, 2	A♭, B♭♭
3 (C)	0, 2, 3	C, E♭♭, E♭
2 (E)	1, 2	F, G♭
1 (A)	0, 2, 3	B♭♭, C♭, C

Box 2 · frets 2–5

A♭ blues diminished in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 12 notes across 4 strings, from E♭♭ on the C string at fret 2 up to E♭♭ on the A string at fret 5. The root falls on the E string at fret 4.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
4 (G)	2, 4, 5	B♭♭, C♭, C
3 (C)	2, 3, 5	E♭♭, E♭, F
2 (E)	2, 4, 5	G♭, A♭, B♭♭
1 (A)	2, 3, 5	C♭, C, E♭♭

Box 3 · frets 5–8

A♭ blues diminished in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 12 notes across 4 strings, from F on the C string at fret 5 up to F on the A string at fret 8. The root falls on the C string at fret 8.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
4 (G)	5, 7, 8	C, E♭♭, E♭
3 (C)	5, 6, 8	F, G♭, A♭
2 (E)	5, 7, 8	B♭♭, C♭, C
1 (A)	5, 6, 8	E♭♭, E♭, F

Box 4 · frets 8–11

A♭ blues diminished in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 12 notes across 4 strings, from A♭ on the C string at fret 8 up to A♭ on the A string at fret 11. The root falls on the C string at fret 8 and the A string at fret 11.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
4 (G)	8, 10, 11	E♭, F, G♭
3 (C)	8, 9, 11	A♭, B♭♭, C♭
2 (E)	8, 10, 11	C, E♭♭, E♭
1 (A)	8, 9, 11	F, G♭, A♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ blues diminished is the eight-note half-whole pattern: H, W, H, W, H, W, H, W. It adds a ♭2 to A♭ hungarian major, keeping the ♭3, 3, ♭5, 5, 6, and ♭7. The scale contains a tritone between A♭ and E♭♭, but no leading tone.

When to use it

A♭ blues diminished fits A♭ major and A♭ minor chords, adding a ♭2 and ♭5 for tension. Use it over blues, jazz, and funk progressions in A♭. The scale also works over diminished chords built on A, C, E♭, and G♭.

Which position to practise

Practise Box 1 first. It covers frets 0–3 and keeps the root under the first finger on string 4.

Common questions

What notes are in A♭ blues diminished?

A♭ blues diminished contains A♭, B♭♭, C♭, C, E♭♭, E♭, F, and G♭. The scale has eight notes. It includes both a minor third and a major third. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

Which chords does A♭ blues diminished fit?

A♭ blues diminished fits A♭ major and A♭ minor chords. It also works over A, C, E♭, and G♭ diminished chords. The scale adds chromatic tension to blues progressions.

Is A♭ blues diminished the same as A♭ diminished?

No. A♭ blues diminished has eight notes, while A♭ diminished has seven. The blues diminished scale adds a major third and a major sixth.