Diminished (half-whole) on cavaquinho (C)

Diminished (half-whole) in C: C – Db – D# – E – F# – G – A – Bb. On the cavaquinho, four steel strings pack the scale into a short, bright space — there is nowhere for a note to hide. The box shown runs from fret 1 to 4; the lowest tonic sits on the 2nd string, fret 1, and the hand stays put in the region, with no position shift. Its four steel strings give a bright, sharp attack that cuts through the mix and drives the beat.

Once the shape is memorized, play the box in thirds — the real memory test.

In the diagram, each dot carries its scale degree — 1 is the tonic, highlighted.

This is one shape of diminished (half-whole) on cavaquinho — this neck alone holds 4 more mapped positions. In Chord & Fret, you press play and watch each note light up on the diagram the instant it sounds; walk the scale box by box along the whole neck; and run it up, down or in a full round trip. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. 100% offline. See it in Chord & Fret →

See the full explanation of the diminished (half-whole) scale →

Updated July 9, 2026