For some reason I have found these scales difficult to learn . I find that the sound of the scale is not as memorable as the major/minor scales. I guess it's just a case of keep practising . I have noticed that if you start with a major scale , flatten the 3rd and replace the 5th with a flat 5th AND a sharp 5th you end up with a diminished scale . I know this isn't necessarily a good way to think about the scales but it helps me to learn them . Another interesting fact - if you learn to play the scales of C , D , and E diminished (several octaves of each ) you are effectively practising all 12 (each of the above 3 scales is really 4 scales as explained in Paul's podcast) . Does anyone have any similar thoughts about learning/practising these scales?

I use just the same way to play diminished scales as you do: start with a major-minor scale (i.e. major with bIII) and replace the V with bV and #V. Seems reasonable to me and not necessarily a bad way of remembering it.

I mainly use dim scales over 7th chords and therefore go semitone/tone rather than tone/semitone. Here's how I think of it...

Play the notes of a C7 plus it's 6th
C,E, G,A, Bb = 1, 3, 5, 6 and b7
So that's 5 notes of the scale, just 3 to go.

To get from the C to the E we need the b9 and sharp 9
So that's C, Db, D sharp, E.
One to go

To get from E to G we just need the b5
So that's E,Gb,G

So it total, that's 1,3,5, 6, b7 with the added b9, sharp 9 and b5

Master that scale in C, F and G and they are the only 3 scales that exist.
Paul