C#

Symmetric Scale

C# / D♭ Diminished (H-W)

8-note alternating half-whole scale. Tense, jazzy, used over dominant and dim7 chords.

Notes in C# Diminished (H-W)

Db1
D2
E3
F4
G5
Ab6
Bb7
B8
Db8

Chords in C# Diminished (H-W)

8 diatonic chords
DegreeChordNotesQuality
iDb°Db – E – Gdiminished
iiD°D – F – Abdiminished
iiiE°E – G – Bbdiminished
ivF°F – Ab – Bdiminished
vG°G – Bb – Dbdiminished
viAb°Ab – B – Ddiminished
viiBb°Bb – Db – Ediminished
viiiB°B – D – Fdiminished

Other Scales in C#

MajorDb, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, CNatural MinorDb, Eb, E, Gb, Ab, A, BHarmonic MinorDb, Eb, E, Gb, Ab, A, CMelodic MinorDb, Eb, E, Gb, Ab, Bb, CDorianDb, Eb, E, Gb, Ab, Bb, BPhrygianDb, D, E, Gb, Ab, A, BLydianDb, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, CMixolydianDb, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, BLocrianDb, D, E, Gb, G, A, BMajor PentatonicDb, Eb, F, Ab, BbMinor PentatonicDb, E, Gb, Ab, BBluesDb, E, Gb, G, Ab, BWhole ToneDb, Eb, F, G, A, BDiminished (W-H)Db, Eb, E, Gb, G, A, Bb, CPhrygian DominantDb, D, F, Gb, Ab, A, BHungarian MinorDb, Eb, E, G, Ab, A, CLydian DominantDb, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, B

Diminished (H-W) in All 12 Keys

CC C# D# E F# G A A#C#D♭Db D E F G Ab Bb BDD D# F F# G# A B CD#E♭Eb E Gb G A Bb C DbEE F G G# A# B C# DFF Gb Ab A B C D EbF#G♭F# G A A# C C# D# EGG G# A# B C# D E FG#A♭Ab A B C D Eb F GbAA A# C C# D# E F# GA#B♭Bb B Db D E F G AbBB C D D# F F# G# A

Practice by Ear

Scale RecognitionIdentify the Diminished (H-W) scale by ear →Play C# Diminished (H-W)Hear the scale and practice recognising it →Chord Recognition TrainerIdentify the chords above by ear →Progression TrainerIdentify common progressions in this key →

Chords in C# / Db Diminished (H-W)

The C# diminished (h-w) scale contains the notes Db, D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, B. 8-note alternating half-whole scale. Tense, jazzy, used over dominant and dim7 chords.

The diatonic chords in C# diminished (h-w) are Db° (i), D° (ii), E° (iii), F° (iv), G° (v), Ab° (vi), Bb° (vii), B° (viii). These are the chords you can use when writing or improvising in this key — every note in each chord belongs to the C# diminished (h-w) scale.

To develop your ear for the C# diminished (h-w) sound, use the scale and chord trainers linked above. Being able to recognise these sounds by ear — not just read them from a chart — is what separates musicians who truly hear music from those who only read it.