In this lesson I'll show you the whole-tone scale guitar patterns and how to use them.
🎸 FREE Chord Tone Arpeggio Pack for Accurately Improvising Over Chords
🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar

⏱ Video Content Outline for This Whole-Tone Scale Guitar Lesson

0:00 - About this whole-tone scale lesson
0:50 - What is the whole-tone scale & how is it used?
2:26 - The five whole-tone scale guitar shapes diagram
4:04 - Demonstrating the five whole-tone scale guitar shapes
4:40 - Symmetry of the whole-tone scale
5:03 - Playing the whole-tone scale over a Dominant7#5 chord
7:15 - Playing the whole-tone scale in a chord progression
7:52 - Improvise over chord progressions with my FREE PDF
8:27 - Outro & watch next

🔗 Links & Lessons Mentioned in This Video on Whole-Tone Scale Guitar Shapes

🎸 Full Playlist of This Series
🎸 23 Scales You Can Play Over Dominant 7th Chords
🎸 FREE Chord Tone Arpeggio Pack for Accurately Improvising Over Chords
🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar
🎸 WATCH THIS NEXT: Diminished Scale Tutorial

💬 Lesson Description for This Whole-Tone Scale Guitar Video

In this video I'll show you the whole-tone scale guitar shapes along the fretboard, why the whole-tone scale exists, and how to use it on the guitar.

The whole-tone scale is most commonly associated with the stereotypical soundbite of a harp during a dream sequence in film or TV.

In this lesson I’ll cover four main points:

1. What the whole-tone scale is

2. What the whole-tone scale is used for

3. The whole-tone scale guitar shapes on the fretboard and how to practice them

4. How we can use the whole-tone scale guitar shapes to improvise over dominant 7th chords and in the context of a longer chord progression

It can be a lot of fun to play with the whole-tone scale and explore its nebulous and unresolved sound.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the whole-tone scale guitar shapes and found it beneficial. Let me know what you thought in the comments.

Thanks! :)

- Jared

 
🎨 Diagrams From This Lesson
 

The Five Whole-Tone Scale Guitar Shapes

🎸 FREE Chord Tone Arpeggio Pack for Accurately Improvising Over Chords → https://bit.ly/3cw1RbA
🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar → http://bit.ly/3hfGTUx

Whole Tone Scale Guitar: Shapes, Usage, and How to Practice

In this lesson, I will show you the shapes of the Whole Tone Scale on the guitar fretboard. I will also explain why this scale exists, how to use it on the guitar, and how to practice it. This lesson is part of my Scale Mapping Lesson Series, where I dedicate a separate lesson to various scale types to learn their positions on the guitar and how to practice them.

What is the Whole Tone Scale?

The Whole Tone Scale is a synthetic scale consisting of only whole tones. If you start on C, you go up two frets, and then up another two frets, and so on, until you eventually get back to C. This breaks the octave into six notes, making it a symmetrical scale. It is not a diatonic scale, does not relate to any key or tonal center, and can be used to create a lack of tonality.

What is the Whole Tone Scale Used For?

Composers in the impressionistic era of music in the early 20th century used the Whole Tone Scale to create an intentional lack of tonality and to achieve a dreamy effect. The Whole Tone Scale can also be used to modulate or create tension and resolution. In jazz music, guitarists primarily use it to improvise, compose, and play melodies over a dominant seventh chord and specifically a dominant seven sharp five chord.

Whole Tone Scale Guitar Shapes

To map out this scale on the guitar, I use what I call the "Root-to-Root" exercise, which involves playing up to the next root and repeating or pausing on that next root. Here are the five scale form positions that I practice to be able to play the Whole Tone Scale anywhere off of any root:

Scroll up to see all five whole tone scale guitar shapes. 

Practicing the Whole Tone Scale

To practice the Whole Tone Scale, use the "Root-to-Root" exercise, as explained earlier. It will help you know the root you're playing off of, especially since this scale is symmetrical and sounds the same anywhere you play it. Also, you can download the Printable Parent Scales PDF Pack with the link in the description. This pack includes the shapes of the Whole Tone Scale to use as a resource for practice.

Listening and Improvising with the Whole Tone Scale

To listen and play around with improvising with the Whole Tone Scale, I suggest playing over a dominant seventh chord or a dominant seven sharp five chord. This will allow you to hear and feel the effect that the Whole Tone Scale has on the music.

Conclusion

In summary, the Whole Tone Scale is a symmetrical scale made up of only whole tones that creates an intentional lack of tonality. It is useful for creating dreamy effects, modulating, and creating tension and resolution in music. To practice it, use the "Root-to-Root" exercise and practice the five scale form positions. Lastly, listen and improvise with the Whole Tone Scale over a dominant seventh chord.