Guitar scale · exotic
A Leading Whole Tone Scale
Whole-tone scale with the major 7th added as a leading tone: 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7 7. Mode 2 of Neapolitan Major.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Leading Whole Tone Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------5-7-9-| B|-----------------------6-8-9-------| G|-------------------6-8-------------| D|-----------5-6-7-9-----------------| A|-------6-8-------------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|----------------------------8-9-10--------| G|-----------------------8-10---------------| D|----------------7-9-11--------------------| A|--------8-10-11---------------------------| E|-7-9-11-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|-----------------------------------10-12---------| G|--------------------------10-12-13---------------| D|------------------9-11-13------------------------| A|---------10-11-12--------------------------------| E|-9-11-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|-------------------------12-13-14-16----------------| D|-------------------13-15----------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|----------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------15-17-18-------------------------| A|----------14-16-18----------------------------------| E|-15-16-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, ♯5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| 3 | C# |
| ♯4 | D# |
| ♯5 | E# |
| ♭7 | G |
| 7 | G# |
Chords in A Leading Whole Tone
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Aaug | Amaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | Baug | — | Supertonic |
| III | C# | C#7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | E#dim | E#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | G#m | G#m(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Leading Whole Tone anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the A Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The A Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: A, B, C#, D#, E#, G, G#.
- What chords are in the A Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of A Leading Whole Tone are Aaug (I+), Baug (II+), C# (III), E#dim (♯v°), G#m (vii).
- What is the formula of the leading whole tone scale?
- 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7 7, which is the step pattern W W W W W H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.