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F whole tone pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, A, Cb, Db, Eb at frets 1, 5, 7, 9, 11

A string: A, Cb, Db, Eb, F, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12

D string: Eb, F, A, Cb, Db at frets 1, 3, 7, 9, 11

G string: A, Cb, Db, Eb, F at frets 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

B string: Cb, Db, Eb, F, A, Cb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12

High E string: F, A, Cb, Db, Eb at frets 1, 5, 7, 9, 11

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F 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:

F

I

A

III

C♭

bV

D♭

bVI

E♭

bVII

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

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

How to play F whole tone pentatonic on guitar

Roots start at 1 on both E strings, so the box opens a fret above the nut. Open A gives the major third. Clamp fret 1 and E fingering matches this key, which means a shape learned at the nut moves straight over. Only two open strings fit, so most of the work happens under the fingers rather than on open strings. Further roots wait at 8 on the A and 3 on the D.

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