E Minor Six Diminished Ukulele Scale
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Open E Minor Six Diminished HarmonizerE Minor Six Diminished Scale — Notes and Intervals
The E Minor Six Diminished scale is a sophisticated jazz scale popularized by the Barry Harris method. On Ukulele, its notes are E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#, D#. 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: E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#, D#
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
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 E 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 E Minor Six Diminished on Ukulele
On ukulele, find E on the fret 4 area, and work through the scale within a four-fret span. You may need to shift positions once to cover all 8 notes. Practice each position separately before linking them together.
The E Minor Six Diminished scale contains 3 sharps (F#, C#, D#). 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 E 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 E to let the characteristic intervals of the Minor Six Diminished scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in bebop contexts.
Ukulele Tips
On ukulele, the E Minor Six Diminished scale sounds particularly charming when played as a melodic pattern over fingerpicked chord shapes. Try integrating scale tones into your strumming patterns for a more sophisticated sound. Aim for a sophisticated quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.
Related Scales
The E Minor Six Diminished scale contains 8 notes (E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#, D#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Ukulele with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for E Minor Six Diminished
The E 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 E Minor Six Diminished Further
- Harmonize the E Minor Six Diminished scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- E Minor Six Diminished on Guitar
- E Minor Six Diminished on Bass
- E Minor Six Diminished on Piano