Guitar scale · exotic
D 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.
D 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-------------------| D|----------------10-11-12-14-------------------------| A|----------11-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-16-| B|----------------------------------13-14-15----------| G|----------------------------13-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|-------------------14-16-18-------------------------| A|----------15-16-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|-------------------------17-18-19-21----------------| D|-------------------18-20----------------------------| A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------20-21-22-| B|----------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------19-21----------------| D|----------------20-22----------------------| A|----------19-21----------------------------| E|-20-21-22----------------------------------|
How to play D Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | F# |
| ♯4 | G# |
| ♯5 | A# |
| ♭7 | C |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D 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 D Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Daug | Dmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | Eaug | — | Supertonic |
| III | F# | F#7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | A#dim | A#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | C#m | C#m(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The D Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G#, A#, C, C#.
- What chords are in the D Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of D Leading Whole Tone are Daug (I+), Eaug (II+), F# (III), A#dim (♯v°), C#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 D Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.