A Whole Tone Scale on Guitar
The A Whole Tone Scale is a 6-note scale (dreamy, ambiguous (7♯5)) built from the formula 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7. Its notes are A B C♯ D♯ E♯ G. Below you'll find the scale on the whole fretboard and related scales — open it in the interactive fretboard for 3NPS, CAGED and pentatonic box patterns with playback.
Notes and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | root |
| 2 | B | Major 2nd |
| 3 | C♯ | Major 3rd |
| ♯4 | D♯ | Augmented 4th (tritone) |
| ♯5 | E♯ | Augmented 5th |
| ♭7 | G | Minor 7th |
Steps: W – W – W – W – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step)
A Whole Tone Scale on the fretboard (15 frets)
Standard tuning E A D G B E. Pink = root, purple = characteristic notes. 3NPS, CAGED and box patterns plus other tunings are in the interactive fretboard.
Other scales from A
- Ionian (Major)
- Dorian
- Phrygian
- Lydian
- Mixolydian
- Aeolian (Minor)
- Locrian
- Major pentatonic
- Minor pentatonic
- Blues
- Major blues
- Harmonic minor
- Locrian ♮6
- Ionian ♯5
- Dorian ♯4
- Phrygian dominant
- Lydian ♯2
- Superlocrian 𝄫7
- Melodic minor
- Dorian ♭2
- Lydian augmented
- Lydian dominant
- Mixolydian ♭6
- Locrian ♮2
- Altered (Superlocrian)
- Whole tone
- Diminished (half-whole)
- Diminished (whole-half)
Whole tone in other keys
FAQ
- What notes are in the A Whole Tone Scale?
- The A Whole Tone Scale has 6 notes: A, B, C♯, D♯, E♯, G. Its formula is 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7.
- What intervals make up the A Whole Tone Scale?
- Step pattern: W – W – W – W – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step). Intervals from the root: 2 (Major 2nd), 3 (Major 3rd), ♯4 (Augmented 4th (tritone)), ♯5 (Augmented 5th), ♭7 (Minor 7th).