STRINGSCALES

G whole tone Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E#, G, A, B, C#, D# at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

A string: A, B, C#, D#, E#, G, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

D string: D#, E#, G, A, B, C# at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

G string: G, A, B, C#, D#, E#, G at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

B string: B, C#, D#, E#, G, A, B at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

High E string: E#, G, A, B, C#, D# at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

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G 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 G 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 G; 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 G supplies the root while open A and B stack the second and third above it, so a three-note whole tone drone rings with no left hand at all. Fretted roots begin at fret 3. Since every interval is a whole step, the fret 3 box duplicates itself at fret 5, which means position playing is mostly translation, not new material. E-shape and A-shape anchors sit at fret 3 and fret 10, with the shift at fret 7.

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