Octatonic scales
Octatonic scales include eight notes, which is much less common in comparison to seven-notes scales, such as the Major and the Minor scales. Octatonic scales as a scale type mustn't be confused with the Half Whole Scale that sometimes goes under the name Octatonic Scale.
Diminished Scale
The Diminished Scale is constructed from two dim 7th chords and consists of eight notes. See diagram overview.
Intervals: 1, 2, b3, 4, b5, b6, 6, 7
Semi-notes: 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1
Example of a scale, C Diminished: C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, B
Dominant Diminished Scale
The Dominant Diminished Scale, or Diminished Blues, can be seen as a mode of the Dimished Scale. See diagram overview.
Intervals: 1, b2, #2, 3, #4, 5, 6, b7
Semi-notes: 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2
Example of a scale, C Dominant Diminished: C, Db, Eb, E, F#, G, A, Bb
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| C Diminished | C | D | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | A | B |
| B Dominant Diminished | B | C | D | D# | F | F# | G# | A |
Half Whole Scale
This scale alternates half and whole steps (H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W). See diagram overview.
Intervals: 1, 2b, 3b, 3, 5b, 5, 6, 7b
Semi-notes: 1- 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2
Example of a scale, C Half Whole: C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, G, A, Bb
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| C Half Whole | C | Db | Eb | Fb | Gb | G | A | Bb |
| C Whole Half (Diminished Scale) | C | D | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | A | B |
Bebop Scale
This is one of several scales called bebop and including eight notes. See diagram overview.
Intervals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6b, 6, 7
Semi-notes: 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 1
Example of a scale, C Bebop: C, D, E, F, G, G#, A, B
| Bebop | C | D | E | F | G | G# | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominant Bebop | C | D | E | F | G | A | Bb | B |
| Dominant Bebop Mode 3 | C | Db | Eb | F | Gb | G | Ab | Bb |
| Dominant Bebop Mode 5 | C | D | Eb | E | F | G | A | Bb |
See also: Dominant scales