Diminished & Augmented Scales

Home | Guitar Page | Banjo Page | Bass Page | About Myself | My Paintings | Links | Contact Me

The scales shown here are in the same format as a chord diagram. They are all moveable forms. The "root" or letter name of the scale is located on the circled note. To play a particular scale, move the scale form up and down the fingerboard until the circled note is on the letter name you want to play. For example, if you move the "E Form" scale up the neck so that the circled note is on the 3rd fret, you will be playing the "G diminished or G augmented (whole tone) scale." If you are not sure about the location of the notes on the fingerboard, use the fingerboard chart I have included at this site. 

diminished augmented scales

These scale forms are named after the moveable chord forms from which they are derived. The following chart shows the corresponding chord forms.

caged

If the "E form" chord or scale is played with the circled note on the 2nd fret, it will be a F# or Gb. With the circled note on the 3rd fret, it will be a G, 4th fret G# or Ab, 5th fret A, 6th fret A# or Bb, 7th fret B, 8th fret C, 9th fret C# or Db, 10th fret D, 11th fret D# or Eb, 12th fret E, 13th fret F.
When working with the "A Form" chords and scales, with the circled note on the 2nd fret, it will be a B. On the 3rd fret, it is a C, 4th fret C# or Dd, 5th fret D, 6th fret D# or Eb, 7th fret E, 8th fret F, 9th fret F# or Gb, 10th fret G, 11th fret G# or Ab, 12th fret A, 13th fret A# or Bb.
When working with the "D Form" chords and scales, with the circled note on the 2nd fret, it is an E, 3rd fret is an F, 4th fret F# or Gb, 5th fret G, 6th fret G# or Ab, 7th fret A, 8th fret A# or Bb, 9th fret B, 10th fret C, 11th fret C# or Db, and 12th fret D.

Return to scale page