Home > Symmetric Scales > Whole-Tone Scale

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The Whole-Half scale alterns whole and half-tones

A particularly easy scale is the whole tone scale, so called because all the steps in the scale are whole steps. A C whole tone scale consists of "C, D, E, F#, G#, Bb". It has only six notes, and all six of its modes (including itself) form whole tone scales. There are thus only 12/6 or 2 different whole tone scales. The other one is "Db, Eb, F, G, A, B".

Since the first, third, and fifth degrees of this scale form an aug- mented triad, this scale can be be played over augmented chords. This scale also contains the note that would be the seventh in a dominant chord (that is, Bb in a C7). The chord implied by this scale is written either as C7aug, Caug, C7+, C+, or C7#5

AKA "Debussy scale"

The Whole-Tone scale skips from tone to tone

This scale has 6 notes

That means that, in fact, there are only two Whole-Tone scales, one starting from A, B, C#, D#, F or G and one starting from Bb, C, D, E, Gb or Ab.

Right hand fingering for the first example over two octaves is

C  D  E  F#  G#  A#  C  D  E  F#  G#  A#  C
1   2  1   2    3    4    1   2  1   2    3     4    5

Left hand fingering for the first example over two octaves is

C  D  E  F#  G#  A#  C  D  E  F#  G#  A#  C
3   2  1   4    3     2    1  2  1   4    3     2    1

Right hand fingering for the second example over two octaves is

F  G  A  B  C#  D#  F  G  A  B  C#  D#  F
1   2  3  1   2    3    1   2   3  1   2    3   4

Left hand fingering for the second example over two octaves is

F  G  A  B  C#  D#  F  G  A  B  C#  D#  F

4   3  2  1   3    2    1   3   2  1   3    2   1