F# Minor Six Diminished Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
F# Minor Six Diminished in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The F# Minor Six Diminished scale is a sophisticated jazz scale popularized by the Barry Harris method. On Guitar, its notes are F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, D#, F. 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: F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, D#, F
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
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
About Drop B Tuning
Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.
Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.
Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure
Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Standard Tuning
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Drop D
- F# Minor Six Diminished in DADGAD
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Open G
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Baritone (B Standard)
- F# Minor Six Diminished in 7-string
- F# Minor Six Diminished in 8-string
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Drop C
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Open D
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Half Step Down
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Open E
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Open A
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Double Drop D
- F# Minor Six Diminished in Open C