The Secrets of the Diminished Scale that Theory Professors Don't Want You to Know About
The diminished, also known as the "Octatonic" scale is known for its symmetry which is achieved by a strict alternation of half-step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step etc.
One of the many fascinating facts about the diminished scale is its eight tones can be organized into two fully diminished 7th chords, a half step away.
On top of that, if we invert any diminished 7th chord, we get the exact same intervals of the original chord, which results as the same shape on guitar shifted up three frets. For example, the G diminished chord above becomes B-flat diminished.
With these two facts in mind, it can be extrapolated that any octatonic scale may be harmonized with nothing but diminished chords, as such:
Yet this scale hides much more than just diminished chords. It has minor 7th, dominant 7th, major 7 sus4 #11, and many other crazy sonorities!
The following exercise yields many of the possibilities of this scale by anticipating any voice of each chord. Start with a fully diminished 7th, such as this drop 3 one:
Now move the top voice - Db up to D.
Then move the other three tones up a fret.
You should once again have a fully diminished chord, just a fret above the starting one. After that, move that same tone - D up two frets.
Finally, move the other three tones up two frets.
Now we have that "1st-inversion" chord. Which is the same shape as the G-Dim, just three frets up. Since the octatonic scale strictly alternates half step - whole step - half step - whole step, this pattern repeats infinitely.
Observe how no chord is articulated on beat two and four of every measure, yet the half notes are held over. You might want to practice it both this way and by articulating the chord on every single beat. There are some cases when the fingering prevents every note from being held, so you must pluck each chord in order to appreciate the glory of every voicing.
I recommend practicing this exercise with all four chord tones of the diminished chord and going up as high as possible on the neck. Practice accenting the tone that is being anticipated.
This exercise yields two distinct qualities of chord. When we displace a voice by a half step, we get a half diminished (or min7 b5, or min6). When we displace a voice by a whole step, we get a minor major 7 b5 (or dominant #9 without a root, or major b9). You know what, all of these names are confusing. How about this much more straightforward convention for labeling diminished chords:
Performed with two or three tones being anticipated, the same exercise yields different chord qualities.
Displacement of four tones: Consult Fig. 4
And we are back where we started. But that's only the beginning. There are many unique voicings that may be derived from this process. Since each of these chords has four notes, there are six possible anticipation chains of two tones and four possible anticipation chains of three tones.
The following chart summarizes the ten distinct chord qualities that are yielded by such a process:
All of these shapes lie within the same diminished scale. And there's basically six different ways of voicing a diminished 7th chord: close, drop 2, drop 3, drop 2 and 3, drop 2 and 4, and double drop 2 drop 3. With that in mind, there are many, many sonorities to explore using this process. I find it exciting do discover new chords/fingerings I never would have thought of, which challenge my tendency to always play the same ol' shapes.
While these ten qualities are not exhaustive of all of the capabilities of this scale (triads, clusters, etc), I do sleep well at night knowing that these voicings are all derived from the same transposition of the octatonic scale.
 |
| G diminished scale |
One of the many fascinating facts about the diminished scale is its eight tones can be organized into two fully diminished 7th chords, a half step away.
 |
| The two diminished chords that comprise the octatonic scale |
On top of that, if we invert any diminished 7th chord, we get the exact same intervals of the original chord, which results as the same shape on guitar shifted up three frets. For example, the G diminished chord above becomes B-flat diminished.
 |
| B-flat diminished 7th |
With these two facts in mind, it can be extrapolated that any octatonic scale may be harmonized with nothing but diminished chords, as such:
 |
| Fig 4: Harmonized G Octatonic Scale |
Yet this scale hides much more than just diminished chords. It has minor 7th, dominant 7th, major 7 sus4 #11, and many other crazy sonorities!
The following exercise yields many of the possibilities of this scale by anticipating any voice of each chord. Start with a fully diminished 7th, such as this drop 3 one:
 |
| Fully Diminished Chord |
Now move the top voice - Db up to D.
 |
| Half Diminished Chord |
Then move the other three tones up a fret.
 |
| Fully Diminished chord - one fret up |
You should once again have a fully diminished chord, just a fret above the starting one. After that, move that same tone - D up two frets.
Finally, move the other three tones up two frets.
Now we have that "1st-inversion" chord. Which is the same shape as the G-Dim, just three frets up. Since the octatonic scale strictly alternates half step - whole step - half step - whole step, this pattern repeats infinitely.
 |
| Full Octatonic Scale with top voice displaced |
Observe how no chord is articulated on beat two and four of every measure, yet the half notes are held over. You might want to practice it both this way and by articulating the chord on every single beat. There are some cases when the fingering prevents every note from being held, so you must pluck each chord in order to appreciate the glory of every voicing.
 |
| Drop 2 diminished chain with the 2nd voice from bottom being displaced |
I recommend practicing this exercise with all four chord tones of the diminished chord and going up as high as possible on the neck. Practice accenting the tone that is being anticipated.
 |
| Displacing 2nd to top voice |
 |
| Displacing 2nd voice from bottom |
 |
| Displacing bottom voice |
This exercise yields two distinct qualities of chord. When we displace a voice by a half step, we get a half diminished (or min7 b5, or min6). When we displace a voice by a whole step, we get a minor major 7 b5 (or dominant #9 without a root, or major b9). You know what, all of these names are confusing. How about this much more straightforward convention for labeling diminished chords:
Performed with two or three tones being anticipated, the same exercise yields different chord qualities.
 |
| Displacement of two tones |
 |
| Displacement of three tones |
Displacement of four tones: Consult Fig. 4
And we are back where we started. But that's only the beginning. There are many unique voicings that may be derived from this process. Since each of these chords has four notes, there are six possible anticipation chains of two tones and four possible anticipation chains of three tones.
The following chart summarizes the ten distinct chord qualities that are yielded by such a process:
All of these shapes lie within the same diminished scale. And there's basically six different ways of voicing a diminished 7th chord: close, drop 2, drop 3, drop 2 and 3, drop 2 and 4, and double drop 2 drop 3. With that in mind, there are many, many sonorities to explore using this process. I find it exciting do discover new chords/fingerings I never would have thought of, which challenge my tendency to always play the same ol' shapes.
While these ten qualities are not exhaustive of all of the capabilities of this scale (triads, clusters, etc), I do sleep well at night knowing that these voicings are all derived from the same transposition of the octatonic scale.
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