D

Symmetric Scale

D Diminished (W-H)

8-note alternating whole-half scale. The inverse of H-W diminished.

Notes in D Diminished (W-H)

D1
E2
F3
G4
G#5
A#6
B7
C#8
D8

Chords in D Diminished (W-H)

8 diatonic chords
DegreeChordNotesQuality
iD°D – F – G#diminished
iiE°E – G – A#diminished
iiiF°F – G# – Bdiminished
ivG°G – A# – C#diminished
vG#°G# – B – Ddiminished
viA#°A# – C# – Ediminished
viiB°B – D – Fdiminished
viiiC#°C# – E – Gdiminished

Other Scales in D

MajorD, E, F#, G, A, B, C#Natural MinorD, E, F, G, A, A#, CHarmonic MinorD, E, F, G, A, A#, C#Melodic MinorD, E, F, G, A, B, C#DorianD, E, F, G, A, B, CPhrygianD, D#, F, G, A, A#, CLydianD, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#MixolydianD, E, F#, G, A, B, CLocrianD, D#, F, G, G#, A#, CMajor PentatonicD, E, F#, A, BMinor PentatonicD, F, G, A, CBluesD, F, G, G#, A, CWhole ToneD, E, F#, G#, A#, CDiminished (H-W)D, D#, F, F#, G#, A, B, CPhrygian DominantD, D#, F#, G, A, A#, CHungarian MinorD, E, F, G#, A, A#, C#Lydian DominantD, E, F#, G#, A, B, C

Diminished (W-H) in All 12 Keys

CC D D# F F# G# A BC#D♭Db Eb E Gb G A Bb CDD E F G G# A# B C#D#E♭Eb F Gb Ab A B C DEE F# G A A# C C# D#FF G Ab Bb B Db D EF#G♭F# G# A B C D D# FGG A A# C C# D# E F#G#A♭Ab Bb B Db D E F GAA B C D D# F F# G#A#B♭Bb C Db Eb E Gb G ABB C# D E F G G# A#

Practice by Ear

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

Chords in D Diminished (W-H)

The D diminished (w-h) scale contains the notes D, E, F, G, G#, A#, B, C#. 8-note alternating whole-half scale. The inverse of H-W diminished.

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

To develop your ear for the D diminished (w-h) 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.