A Whole Tone

The scale displayed with its numeric formula, notes and intervals.

Formula	Notes	Intervals
1	A	Unison
2	B	Major second
3	C#	Major third
#4	D#	Augmented fourth
#5	F	Augmented fifth
b7	G	Minor seventh

The A Whole Tone scale consists of six notes. The name is reflected by the notes that keeps the same distance of one tone between every scale step. It is organized on the guitar fingerboard in steps as whole, whole, whole, whole, whole, whole.
This scale is also called A Augmented scale because it is constructed by including both an augmented fourth and an augmented fifth.
Related to this scale is the A Diminished Whole Tone scale which include seven notes instead of six (see the Related scales tab below).

This scale is typically played over a dominant alternate chord.
A feature of a symmetrical scale is overlapping note relationships and there are only two possible transpositions for this scale. The A Whole Tone has the same notes as B Whole Tone, C# Whole Tone, D# Whole Tone, F Whole Tone and, G Whole Tone.

Chords with matching notes are especially augmented and alternated chords:

• Aaug
• A7b5
• A7#5
• Baug
• B7b5
• B7#5
• C#aug
• C#7b5
• C#7#5
• D#aug
• D#7b5
• D#7#5
• Faug
• F7b5
• F7#5
• Gaug
• G7b5
• G7#5

Although the tones in these chords correspond to the tones of the A Whole Tone, creating progressions with these chords will seldom sound pleasant. Notice that the seventh sharp fifth also can be spelled augmented 7th.

Related to this scale is the A Diminished Whole Tone scale, also called A Dominant Altered or A Super Locrian. It can be displayed as follows:

Formula	Notes	Intervals
1	A	Unison
b2	Bb	Diminished second
#2	C	Augmented second
3	C#	Major third
b5	Eb	Diminished fifth
#5	E#	Augmented fifth
b7	G	Minor seventh

Start the audio and play along with your guitar! Use notes from the scale in the diagram above.

Normal tempo: Slow tempo: