A♯ Half-Whole Diminished Scale
The A♯ Half-Whole Diminished scale contains 8 notes: A♯, B, C♯, D, E, F, G, G♯.
A♯ Half-Whole Diminished scale on the piano
Key facts
- Scale type
- Half-Whole Diminished
- Number of notes
- 8
- Formula
- H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W
What is the Half-Whole Diminished scale?
The half-whole diminished scale alternates half steps and whole steps across eight notes. It supplies the flat ninth, sharp ninth, sharp eleventh and thirteenth over a dominant chord, which makes it the standard altered dominant sound in jazz.
A♯ Half-Whole Diminished is a scale, not a key. It has no key signature of its own — music that uses it is normally written in the key signature of its parent scale, with any extra accidentals added as they occur.
Scale degrees of A♯ Half-Whole Diminished
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♯ | P1 | 0 |
| 2 | B | m2 | 1 |
| 3 | C♯ | m3 | 3 |
| 4 | D | M3 | 4 |
| 5 | E | TT | 6 |
| 6 | F | P5 | 7 |
| 7 | G | M6 | 9 |
| 8 | G♯ | m7 | 10 |
Other scales on A♯
Every scale type that starts on A♯, for comparison.
Half-Whole Diminished in every key
- C Half-Whole Diminished
- C♯ Half-Whole Diminished
- D♭ Half-Whole Diminished
- D Half-Whole Diminished
- D♯ Half-Whole Diminished
- E♭ Half-Whole Diminished
- E Half-Whole Diminished
- F Half-Whole Diminished
- F♯ Half-Whole Diminished
- G♭ Half-Whole Diminished
- G Half-Whole Diminished
- G♯ Half-Whole Diminished
- A♭ Half-Whole Diminished
- A Half-Whole Diminished
- B♭ Half-Whole Diminished
- B Half-Whole Diminished
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the A♯ Half-Whole Diminished scale?
The A♯ Half-Whole Diminished scale has 8 notes: A♯, B, C♯, D, E, F, G, G♯.
What is the formula for the A♯ Half-Whole Diminished scale?
The A♯ Half-Whole Diminished scale follows the step pattern H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W, where H is a half step and W is a whole step.
