C Minor Six Diminished Guitar Scale

Guitar scale — fretboard diagramAdvanced

C minor six diminished scale — 6-string guitar fretboard diagramInteractive fretboard diagram showing the C minor six diminished scale on 6-string guitar with 22 frets. Notes: F, G, Ab, A, B, C, D, Eb.FGAbABCDEbFGAbABCDBCDEbFGAbABCDEbFGAbAGAbABCDEbFGAbABCDEbFDEbFGAbABCDEbFGAbABCABCDEbFGAbABCDEbFGFGAbABCDEbFGAbABCD1357911121315171921

What chords fit over C Minor Six Diminished?

Open C Minor Six Diminished Harmonizer

C Minor Six Diminished Scale — Notes and Intervals

The C Minor Six Diminished scale is a sophisticated jazz scale popularized by the Barry Harris method. On Guitar, its notes are C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A, B. It is the secret to professional voice leading in bebop, allowing for smooth, elegant movements between minor chords and their related tensions. Commonly used in Jazz, Bebop, Swing. Notable players include Barry Harris, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell. Use over m6 chords and their related dim7 chords. The scale alternates between chord tones and diminished passing tones, creating seamless bebop voice leading.

Notes: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A, B

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5P, 6m, 6M, 7M

Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 8

Formula: W-H-W-W-H-H-W-H

Number of notes: 8

Musical Character

SophisticatedElegantProfessionalSmooth

The 'Barry Harris scale' — an 8-note system that provides the secret to professional voice leading in bebop. It allows for smooth, elegant movements between minor chords and their related diminished tensions.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Jazz, Bebop, Swing

Notable players: Barry Harris, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell

How to Use the C Minor Six Diminished Scale

Use over m6 chords and their related dim7 chords. The scale alternates between chord tones and diminished passing tones, creating seamless bebop voice leading.

Origin & Background

Systematized by jazz educator Barry Harris as the foundation of his bebop harmony method. Provides the theoretical framework for understanding Charlie Parker's voice leading.

How to Play C Minor Six Diminished on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 8 on the 6th (low E) to find your C root note. Because this scale has 8 notes, four-notes-per-string stretches may be necessary. Start with a single position and expand gradually. Keep your thumb centered behind the neck for reach.

The C Minor Six Diminished scale contains 2 flats (Eb, Ab). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.

Practice Routine

Set a metronome to 100 BPM and play the C Minor Six Diminished scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.

Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on C to let the characteristic intervals of the Minor Six Diminished scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in bebop contexts.

Guitar Tips

On guitar, practice the C Minor Six Diminished scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications. Aim for a sophisticated quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

The C Minor Six Diminished scale contains 8 notes (C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A, B). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.

CAGED Positions & Patterns for C Minor Six Diminished

The C Minor Six Diminished scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 8-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.

Explore C Minor Six Diminished Further

Explore C Minor Six Diminished in Other Tunings

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