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B♭ whole tone Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bb 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:

B♭

I

C

II

D

III

E

#IV

F♯

#V

G♯

#VI

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

tip
  • Everything moves in whole steps from Bb 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 Bb; 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 B♭ whole tone on guitar

Both E strings and the open D keep ringing inside Bb whole tone, so pedal tones remain available while shapes move. A-shape barre players start at fret 1, E-shape players at fret 6. Two-fret symmetry repeats every pattern identically up the neck, which lets one memorized shape cover each position in turn without relearning anything. Capo at fret 1 gives A whole tone fingerings.

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