STRINGSCALES

G♭ whole tone Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gb 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:

G♭

I

A♭

II

B♭

III

C

#IV

D

#V

E

#VI

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

tip
  • Everything moves in whole steps from Gb 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 Gb; 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 G♭ whole tone on guitar

Open D and the two E strings fall inside Gb whole tone, so low pedal tones underpin a scale spelled with three flats. Roots sit at fret 2 on both E strings. Capo 2 frets up and it reads as E whole tone, which lets the open-root version of the shape take over. Identical fingerings recur every 2 frets, with barre anchors at fret 2 and fret 9 and a shift point at fret 6.

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