A Minor Six Diminished Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
A Minor Six Diminished in 8-string — Notes and Intervals
The A Minor Six Diminished scale is a sophisticated jazz scale popularized by the Barry Harris method. On Guitar, its notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, F#, G#. 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: A, B, C, D, E, F, F#, G#
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: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 8-string Tuning
The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.
With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.
Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments
Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead
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.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- A Minor Six Diminished in Standard Tuning
- A Minor Six Diminished in Drop D
- A Minor Six Diminished in DADGAD
- A Minor Six Diminished in Open G
- A Minor Six Diminished in Baritone (B Standard)
- A Minor Six Diminished in 7-string
- A Minor Six Diminished in Drop C
- A Minor Six Diminished in Drop B
- A Minor Six Diminished in Open D