A Leading Whole Tone Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
A Leading Whole Tone Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A Leading Whole Tone scale is a symmetrical scale that combines the weightless blur of the whole-tone system with a final bit of traditional resolution tension. On Guitar, its notes are A, B, C#, D#, F, G, G#. It is used to create a sense of floating that eventually finds a home. Commonly used in Impressionist, Film Scores, Jazz. Notable players include Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel. Use as a transition device or over augmented chords that need to resolve. The leading tone provides a gentle gravitational pull absent in pure whole tone.
Notes: A, B, C#, D#, F, G, G#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4A, 5A, 7m, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 #4 #5 b6 7
Formula: W-W-W-W-W-H-H
Number of notes: 7
How to Play A Leading Whole Tone on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 5 on the 6th (low E) to find your A root note. Use a three-notes-per-string fingering to cover the full scale in one position, or learn the CAGED shapes to navigate the entire fretboard. An alternative starting point is open position using open A string.
The A Leading Whole Tone scale contains 3 sharps (C#, D#, G#). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the A Leading Whole Tone scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.
Exotic scales like the Leading Whole Tone often work best as a melodic layer over a single root drone on A. Let the unique intervals speak for themselves without frequent chord changes.
Guitar Tips
On guitar, practice the A Leading Whole Tone scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications.
The A Leading Whole Tone scale contains 7 notes (A, B, C#, D#, F, G, G#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Leading Whole Tone
The A Leading Whole Tone scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 7-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.
Explore A Leading Whole Tone Further
- Harmonize the A Leading Whole Tone scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- A Leading Whole Tone on Ukulele
- A Leading Whole Tone on Bass
- A Leading Whole Tone on Piano
Explore A Leading Whole Tone in Other Tunings
- A Leading Whole Tone in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Leading Whole Tone in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- A Leading Whole Tone in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- A Leading Whole Tone in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Leading Whole Tone in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)