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MusicTheoryGym

Scale · 6 notes

G♭ Whole Tone Scale

G♭ Whole Tone is a 6-note scale with the notes G♭ A♭ B♭ C D F♭. It sounds six notes all a whole step apart, so it has no home note: floating, dreamlike and ambiguous.

CDF♭G♭A♭B♭

Purple = G♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every G♭ whole tone note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215F♭G♭A♭B♭CDF♭G♭B♭CDF♭G♭A♭B♭CDF♭G♭A♭B♭CDF♭A♭B♭CDF♭G♭A♭B♭CDF♭G♭A♭B♭CDF♭G♭A♭B♭CDF♭G♭

Blue = G♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the G♭ Whole Tone scale

DegreeNote
1G♭
2A♭
3B♭
♯4C
♯5D
♭7F♭

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: G♭ A♭ B♭ C D F♭.

G♭ Whole Tone scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – W – W – W – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7.

How to practise the G♭ Whole Tone scale

Learn it as a rotation of a scale you already know (lydian dominant is melodic minor starting on its 4th note, altered starts on its 7th) and play it over the matching chord with a drone on the root.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the G♭ Whole Tone scale?

The notes of the G♭ Whole Tone scale are G♭ A♭ B♭ C D F♭.

What is the formula for the G♭ Whole Tone scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – W – W – W – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7.

More G♭ scales

G♭ Major, G♭ Lydian, G♭ Mixolydian, G♭ Major Pentatonic, G♭ Lydian Dominant, G♭ Lydian Augmented, G♭ Bebop Dominant

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.