Diminished (whole-half) on guitar (C)

Diminished (whole-half) in C: C – D – Eb – F – Gb – Ab – Bbb – B. On the guitar, six strings open the scale into wide shapes — there is room to choose the region of the neck that sings best. The box shown runs from fret 1 to 4; the lowest tonic sits on the 5th string, fret 3, and the hand stays put in the region, with no position shift. Its hollow wooden body gives every chord a warm, natural ring that blooms and fades on its own.

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.

One box of diminished (whole-half) on guitar is the start: the other 4 positions of this neck follow in the app. In Chord & Fret, you hear the scale in the instrument's own voice, synthesized string by string; switch the dot labels between degrees, note names and fingers; and run it up, down or in a full round trip. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. 100% offline. Open in Chord & Fret →

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

Updated July 9, 2026