Guitar scale · exotic
E 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.
E 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|-----------------------------0-2-4-| B|-----------------------1-3-4-------| G|-------------------1-3-------------| D|-----------0-1-2-4-----------------| A|-------1-3-------------------------| E|-0-2-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------2-4-6-| B|-----------------------3-4-5-------| G|-------------------3-5-------------| D|-------------2-4-6-----------------| A|-------3-5-6-----------------------| E|-2-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-8-| B|-------------------------5-7-------| G|-------------------5-7-8-----------| D|-------------4-6-8-----------------| A|-------5-6-7-----------------------| E|-4-6-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-10-11-| B|------------------------------9-11---------| G|---------------------7-8-9-11--------------| D|----------------8-10-----------------------| A|---------7-9-11----------------------------| E|-8-10-11-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------10-11-12-| B|-----------------------------------11-13----------| G|---------------------------9-11-13----------------| D|------------------10-12-13------------------------| A|----------9-11-13---------------------------------| E|-10-11-12-----------------------------------------|
How to play E Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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 | E |
| 2 | F# |
| 3 | G# |
| ♯4 | A# |
| ♯5 | B# |
| ♭7 | D |
| 7 | D# |
Chords in E 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 E Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Eaug | Emaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | F#aug | — | Supertonic |
| III | G# | G#7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | B#dim | B#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | D#m | D#m(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise E 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 E Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The E Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: E, F#, G#, A#, B#, D, D#.
- What chords are in the E Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of E Leading Whole Tone are Eaug (I+), F#aug (II+), G# (III), B#dim (♯v°), D#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 E Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.