Guitar scale · exotic
E Whole Tone Scale
Symmetrical scale built entirely of whole steps, producing a floating, surreal dream atmosphere.
Tap any note to hear it.
E 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-------| G|-----------------1-3-----------| D|-----------0-2-4---------------| A|-------1-3---------------------| E|-0-2-4-------------------------|
e|-------------------------2-4-6-| B|---------------------3-5-------| G|-----------------3-5-----------| D|-----------2-4-6---------------| A|-------3-5---------------------| E|-2-4-6-------------------------|
e|-------------------------4-6-8-| B|---------------------5-7-------| G|-----------------5-7-----------| D|-----------4-6-8---------------| A|-------5-7---------------------| E|-4-6-8-------------------------|
e|------------------------------8-10-| B|-------------------------9-11------| G|------------------7-9-11-----------| D|-------------8-10------------------| A|------7-9-11-----------------------| E|-8-10------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------10-12-| B|-----------------------------11-13-------| G|---------------------9-11-13-------------| D|---------------10-12---------------------| A|-------9-11-13---------------------------| E|-10-12-----------------------------------|
How to play E 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 |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise E 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 E Whole Tone Scale?
- The E Whole Tone Scale has 6 notes: E, F#, G#, A#, B#, D.
- What is the formula of the whole tone scale?
- 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W W W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play E 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.