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Symmetrical Also known as Dominant Diminished

E Half-Whole Diminished

NOTES
E F G G♯ A♯ B C♯ D E
SCALE FORMULA
1 – ♭2 – ♯2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
ABOUT THIS SCALE

An eight-note symmetrical scale alternating half steps and whole steps. Frequently used over dominant seventh chords.

GUITAR FRETBOARD

E Half-Whole Diminished

Standard tuning — E A D G B E — open through fret 24.

Scale note Root Click any note to hear it.
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Playback: The scale follows a practical two-octave route across nearby strings and frets. The note currently sounding turns bright white.
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Chord progression ideas

Key of E

Dominant Diminished

I7♭9 – I13♭9
E7♭9 → E13♭9

Half-whole diminished is especially effective over dominant chords containing flat-nine and other altered tensions.

Tension Vamp

I7♭9 – ♭III7♭9 – I7♭9
E7♭9 → G7♭9 → E7♭9

The symmetrical scale allows dominant shapes to move by minor thirds while retaining related tension.