half diminished scale

{{Short description|Sixth mode of the melodic minor scale}}

{{Infobox musical scale

| name = Half diminished scale

| first_pitch = C

| second_pitch = D

| third_pitch = minor third

| fourth_pitch = F

| fifth_pitch = diminished fifth

| sixth_pitch = minor sixth

| seventh_pitch = minor seventh

| pitch_classes = 7

| modes = I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII

| Forte number = 7-34

| complement = 5-34

}}

The half diminished scale is a seven-note musical scale. It is more commonly known as the Locrian {{music|sharp}}2 scale{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gk6WBwu80YMC|title=Music Theory Workbook for Guitar: Scale construction and application|first=Bruce |last=Arnold |date=January 2001 |author-link=Bruce Arnold (jazz) |publisher=muse eek publishing|page=17|isbn=1-890944-53-X|access-date=Jul 10, 2009}} or the Aeolian {{music|flat}}5 scale, names that avoid confusion with the diminished scale and the half-diminished seventh chord (minor seventh, diminished fifth). It is the sixth mode of the ascending melodic minor scale.

: {

\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f

\relative c' {

\clef treble \time 7/4

c4^\markup { Half diminished scale on C } d es f ges aes bes c2

} }

In the key of B{{music|b}}, the half-diminished scale built on C is associated with CHalf-diminished seventh chord, which functions as a iiDiminished seventh chord in minor (see chord-scale system).