How do I play C# Diminished?

On guitar start with the 1st position, played from the lowest string upward; the instrument panel on this page shows its frets and the positions further up the neck. On the piano the right hand ascends 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2, with 1 as the thumb. Every position plays when you press it.

What notes are in C# Diminished?

C# Diminished contains the notes C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B#, measured from the tonic C# as the intervals 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5d, 6m, 6M, 7M. Play them in order for the scale: every note on this page sounds when you tap it, and the step pattern under the degrees shows the distance from each note to the next.

What is the formula of C# Diminished?

From C# the steps run W H W H W H W H, where a whole step is two frets or two keys and a half step one. Apply the same pattern from any other note and you get the same scale on that root, which is why every root of this scale has a page here.

Scales

C# Diminished Scale

C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B#

C# Diminished is a scale built on C# with the notes C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B#.

Also called C# whole-half diminished · C# octatonic

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C# Diminished Scale

C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B#

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Play it on your instrument

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Fingering on the piano

Hand	Fingering	Notes	Play it on your instrument
Right hand	2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2	C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B# · C#
Left hand	3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3	C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B# · C#

One octave ascending; 1 is the thumb. A standard fingering, not the only one.

Tap a key or a fret to hear it.

Scale degrees

C# Diminished is made of the notes C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B#. Each is a degree counted from the tonic, and the gaps between them are the step pattern W H W H W H W H.

Read on: scale degrees · building any scale

Related scales

C# Diminished is a selection of notes from larger scales rather than a seven-note scale of its own, so it has no chords of its own: it takes them from the scales that contain it, listed here with the scales it contains and its related keys.

Scales that contain it

C# ChromaticC# · D · D# · E · E# · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B · B#
Contains every note of C# Diminished.

Diminished on every root

C D E F F#G A Bb B

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Understanding C# Diminished

Names and spellings

C# Diminished is also called C# whole-half diminished, C# octatonic; every one of those names means exactly these notes.

“The diminished scale” is two scales. The half-whole diminished starts with a half step and fits dominant chords, so it is also called the dominant diminished; the whole-half diminished starts with a whole step and fits diminished seventh chords. Both are octatonic.

Common questions

How do I play C# Diminished?: On guitar start with the 1st position, played from the lowest string upward; the instrument panel on this page shows its frets and the positions further up the neck. On the piano the right hand ascends 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2, with 1 as the thumb. Every position plays when you press it.
What notes are in C# Diminished?: C# Diminished contains the notes C# · D# · E · F# · G · A · A# · B#, measured from the tonic C# as the intervals 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5d, 6m, 6M, 7M. Play them in order for the scale: every note on this page sounds when you tap it, and the step pattern under the degrees shows the distance from each note to the next.
What is the formula of C# Diminished?: From C# the steps run W H W H W H W H, where a whole step is two frets or two keys and a half step one. Apply the same pattern from any other note and you get the same scale on that root, which is why every root of this scale has a page here.