STRINGSCALES

D whole tone pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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D whole tone pentatonic

The whole tone pentatonic extracts five notes from whole tone territory: root, major 3rd, flat 5th, flat 6th, flat 7th. Everything above the 3rd is drawn from the augmented and dominant-altered world, so it floats without resolving, useful over augmented triads and 7#5 chords or for impressionist, dreamlike passages.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

D

I

F♯

III

A♭

bV

B♭

bVI

C

bVII

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

tip
  • Five notes, no anchor: root, III, b5 (Ab), b6 (Bb), b7 (C) float over augmented and 7#5 sounds without one wasted note.
  • Use it as a compressed altered color: over a dominant chord on D, b5 (Ab) and b6 (Bb) read as #11 and b13.
  • The major 3rd (F#) is the only sweetness in the set; phrase toward it when the line needs a landing.
  • Try it against a plain minor chord a major 3rd below D for a polytonal shimmer that resolves by dropping one fret.

How to play D whole tone pentatonic on guitar

Open D is the root, so the fourth string drones under everything without a finger on it. No other open string fits. Box 1 begins at 10 on the low E, and the open root pairs with a shape well up the neck. Roots at 7 on the G and 3 on the B keep the tonic reachable in every position, so phrasing does not have to end low.

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