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G♭ leading whole tone Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

A string: Bb, C, D, E, F, Gb, Ab at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11

D string: D, E, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

G string: Ab, Bb, C, D, E, F, Gb at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11

B string: C, D, E, F, Gb, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11

High E string: E, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

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Gb leading whole tone

The leading whole tone scale, the second mode of the neapolitan major scale, is a whole tone scale with a major 7th bolted on. Five whole steps float exactly as expected, then the leading tone suddenly offers a way home. That built-in escape hatch makes it more usable than the pure whole tone scale in tonal contexts.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

G♭

I+

G♭aug
A♭

II+

A♭aug
B♭

III

B♭maj
C

#IV

Cmaj♭5
D

#v°

Ddim
E

#VI

G♭7no5/E
F

vii

Fm

Same notes, different mode

Gb leading whole tone uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

Ab lydian augmented dominantBb lydian dominant b6C major locrianD half-diminished b4E altered dominant double b3F neapolitan major

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

tip
  • Float through the whole tone bottom (root to #V (D) in whole steps), then use the major 7th (F) as the escape hatch to the root.
  • Over an augmented chord resolving to a major chord, this scale scripts the resolution: dreamy first, decisive at the end.
  • Delay the VII: the longer the whole tone blur lasts, the stronger the leading tone lands.
  • It is the second mode of neapolitan major; the same notes a whole step below Gb give the neapolitan major scale.

How to play G♭ leading whole tone on guitar

Capo 2 and play it as E, which lets you keep open-string fingerings for a key that otherwise starts at fret 2. Roots sit at fret 2 on both E strings, the lowest of them on the low E. Open D lands an augmented fifth above Gb, so it works as a pedal under lines that avoid the tonic. Shapes move on at fret 6.

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