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SCALE · ON PIANO

C♭ Diminished Half Whole

Octatonic — half-whole-half-whole. Modern jazz over dominant 7th chords; symmetric every minor 3rd.

MEIMIDIHumdrum
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Meter:Octave per barCrotchets in 4/4Quavers in 4/4Triplets in 4/4
Engraved by Verovio 6.2.0-43f8060 3 5 title C♭ Diminished (Half-Whole)
Engraved by Verovio 6.2.0-43f8060 2 3 4 5 title C♭ Diminished (Half-Whole)
Verovio
Tempo120 bpm

Audio source: tonejs-instruments by Nick Brosowsky (MIT)

Keyboard
C♭D𝄫E𝄫FB𝄫C♭E♭G♭A♭
Related scales
Same scale, other instruments
Same scale, other tonics
Modes built on this tonic
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Theory reference
Questions
What notes are in the C♭ Diminished Half Whole scale?

The C♭ Diminished Half Whole scale uses the notes C♭, D𝄫, E𝄫, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B𝄫 (one octave; the pattern repeats at higher registers).

What's the Diminished Half Whole scale formula?

The Diminished Half Whole scale follows the interval pattern H W H W H W H W, where W = whole step (2 semitones) and H = half step (1 semitone). Apply that pattern starting on C♭ to get the C♭ Diminished Half Whole scale.

What chords work over C♭ Diminished Half Whole?

Try chord pairings derived from the scale's third, fifth, and seventh degrees as roots — they share the most diatonic notes.

How do I finger C♭ Diminished Half Whole on Piano?

On piano, scales typically use a 1-2-3 / 1-2-3-4 thumb-under pattern for white-key scales. Black-key scales (F♯, G♭, etc.) shift the thumb-under positions onto white keys for ergonomic clearance. Hanon Exercise No. 1 and Czerny Op. 599 No. 1 work through the canonical pattern.

When would I use the Diminished Half Whole scale?

Octatonic — half-whole-half-whole. Modern jazz over dominant 7th chords; symmetric every minor 3rd.