Guitar scale · exotic
F Whole Tone Scale
Symmetrical scale built entirely of whole steps, producing a floating, surreal dream atmosphere.
Tap any note to hear it.
F 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|-------------------------1-3-5-| B|---------------------2-4-------| G|-----------------2-4-----------| D|-----------1-3-5---------------| A|-------2-4---------------------| E|-1-3-5-------------------------|
e|-------------------------3-5-7-| B|---------------------4-6-------| G|-----------------4-6-----------| D|-----------3-5-7---------------| A|-------4-6---------------------| E|-3-5-7-------------------------|
e|-------------------------5-7-9-| B|---------------------6-8-------| G|-----------------6-8-----------| D|-----------5-7-9---------------| A|-------6-8---------------------| E|-5-7-9-------------------------|
e|---------------------------------9-11-| B|---------------------------10-12------| G|-------------------8-10-12------------| D|--------------9-11--------------------| A|------8-10-12-------------------------| E|-9-11---------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------11-13-| B|-------------------------------12-14-------| G|----------------------10-12-14-------------| D|----------------11-13----------------------| A|-------10-12-14----------------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------------------|
How to play F Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 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 1–5. 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 | F |
| 2 | G |
| 3 | A |
| ♯4 | B |
| ♯5 | C# |
| ♭7 | Eb |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F 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 F Whole Tone Scale?
- The F Whole Tone Scale has 6 notes: F, G, A, B, C#, Eb.
- 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 F Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.