Free Online Lessons
Lesson 20: Diminished Scale Patterns
The interval structure of a diminished scale
is as follows: whole-step, half-step,
whole-step,
half-step, whole-step, etc. Or it can be
half-step, whole-step,
half-step, whole-step, etc. It just depends
on the situation. Use your ear to determine which
way sounds best to you.
Take a look at
the A diminished scale below and notice that
because the interval pattern is so repetitive,
this could also be a C diminished scale, a E
diminished scale, or a G
diminished scale.
This fact makes it easy to move a diminished
scale around the fretboard.
A - B - C - D - E
- F - G
- G
- A
The following patterns show different
fingerings for an A diminished scale
(or C, or E
, or G
diminished scale).
Form 1
Form 2
Form 3
Form 4
Practice Exercises
Play through each finger pattern ascending
and descending using a slow even tempo.
Move the forms around the fretboard.
Staying with the same root, and at a slow
tempo, play continually in and out of the
different forms with no breaks.
With a friend, or using a tape recorder, play
these scales against full-diminished chords.
The sound will quickly become easy to
recognize.
Copyright 2001 T.A. Vieira, Jr.
All Rights Reserved