STRINGSCALES

E whole tone pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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E 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:

E

I

G♯

III

B♭

bV

C

bVI

D

bVII

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

tip
  • Five notes, no anchor: root, III, b5 (Bb), b6 (C), b7 (D) float over augmented and 7#5 sounds without one wasted note.
  • Use it as a compressed altered color: over a dominant chord on E, b5 (Bb) and b6 (C) read as #11 and b13.
  • The major 3rd (G#) 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 E for a polytonal shimmer that resolves by dropping one fret.

How to play E whole tone pentatonic on guitar

Both E strings are open roots, so the key can be stated without fretting anything. Open D adds the minor seventh, which means three strings ring in key straight off the nut. Box 1 starts at fret 0. Roots return at 7 on the A, 2 on the D and 9 on the G, so a line can climb without leaving the tonic behind.

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