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A whole tone Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E#, F##, A, B, C#, D# at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

A string: A, B, C#, D#, E#, F##, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

D string: D#, E#, F##, A, B, C# at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

G string: F##, A, B, C#, D#, E#, F## at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

B string: B, C#, D#, E#, F##, A, B at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

High E string: E#, F##, A, B, C#, D# at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

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A whole tone

The whole tone scale moves in nothing but whole steps, six notes with no half step anywhere and therefore no leading tone and no home. Debussy made its weightless blur famous, and it remains shorthand for dream sequences and augmented tension. There are only two whole tone collections in existence, so every fingering repeats every whole step up the neck. Use it over 7#5 chords, where every note lands.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

I

B

II

C♯

III

D♯

#IV

E♯

#V

F𝄪

#VI

whole tone in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Everything moves in whole steps from A up, so use symmetrical fingerings: two notes per string, shift, repeat; one shape covers the whole neck.
  • Play it over an augmented triad or 7#5 chord in A; every scale tone is consonant with that harmony.
  • There are only two whole tone scales in existence; move any lick up two frets and it repeats exactly.
  • Use it in short bursts as a dream-sequence transition, then resolve to a diatonic scale; sustained whole tone loses its magic fast.

How to play A whole tone on guitar

Open A doubles the root of A whole tone, and open B and G stay in the collection too, so three strings can ring while you move shapes around them. Neither E string fits this one. Every fingering repeats 2 frets higher, which means the box at fret 5 reappears at fret 7 with identical spacing. Lowest root: fret 5 on the low E, with the position shift at fret 9.

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