Guitar scale · exotic
F# 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.
F# 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|-----------------------------2-4-6-| B|-----------------------3-5-6-------| G|-------------------3-5-------------| D|-----------2-3-4-6-----------------| A|-------3-5-------------------------| E|-2-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-8-| B|-----------------------5-6-7-------| G|-------------------5-7-------------| D|-------------4-6-8-----------------| A|-------5-7-8-----------------------| E|-4-6-8-----------------------------|
e|--------------------------------6-8-10-| B|----------------------------7-9--------| G|---------------------7-9-10------------| D|--------------6-8-10-------------------| A|--------7-8-9--------------------------| E|-6-8-10--------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-----------------------------------11-13----------| G|------------------------9-10-11-13----------------| D|------------------10-12---------------------------| A|----------9-11-13---------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-15-------------------------| A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–6. 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.
F# Leading Whole Tone is also written Gb Leading Whole Tone: Gb Ab Bb C D Fb F. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F# |
| 2 | G# |
| 3 | A# |
| ♯4 | B# |
| ♯5 | D |
| ♭7 | E |
| 7 | E# |
Chords in F# 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 F# Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | F#aug | F#maj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | G#aug | — | Supertonic |
| III | A# | A#7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | Ddim | Dm7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | E#m | E#m(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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 F# Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The F# Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: F#, G#, A#, B#, D, E, E#.
- What chords are in the F# Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of F# Leading Whole Tone are F#aug (I+), G#aug (II+), A# (III), Ddim (♯v°), E#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 F# Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.