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Whole tone scale

Six notes, each a whole step from the next, with no half steps at all. Every note is the same distance from its neighbours, so none sounds like home: the dream-sequence sound of film music.

Its formula is 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6: six notes, dreamlike, with no home.

Make a beat in C major

Opens the free editor with a pop beat in C major to play C whole tone over. No account needed to start.

Hear the whole tone scale

Here on C, C whole tone. From the root up to the root: whole, whole, whole, whole, whole, whole. Tap a key to hear it.

C D E F♯ G♯ A♯ C

CDECF♯G♯A♯
The whole tone scale by scale degree, on C
DegreeOn CFrom the root
1CRoot
2DMajor second
3EMajor third
♯4F♯Augmented fourth
♯5G♯Augmented fifth
♯6A♯Augmented sixth

Its two sets of notes

Every note is in one of them. Starting on another of a set’s notes gives the same six notes again, so C whole tone and D whole tone are one scale.

The two whole tone scales
ScaleNotes
C whole toneC D E F♯ G♯ A♯
D♭ whole toneD♭ E♭ F G A B

Questions about the whole tone scale

What is the whole tone scale?

Six notes, each a whole step from the next, with no half steps at all. Every note is the same distance from its neighbours, so none sounds like home: the dream-sequence sound of film music.

What is the formula of the whole tone scale?

1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6: 6 notes, counted from the major scale on the same root. Its steps from the root up to the root are: whole, whole, whole, whole, whole, whole.

How many whole tone scales are there?

Two: C D E F♯ G♯ A♯, and D♭ E♭ F G A B. Every note is in one of them, and starting either on another of its own notes gives the same six notes again.

More scales and modes

Scales and modes
Major and minor keysMajor pentatonic scaleMinor pentatonic scaleBlues scaleHarmonic minor scaleMelodic minor scaleDorian modePhrygian modeLydian modeMixolydian modeLocrian modePhrygian dominant scaleWhole tone scale

Build a song on the whole tone scale

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in C majorAll music scales

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