Guitar scale · exotic
Bb Leading Whole Tone Scale
Whole-tone scale with the major 7th added as a leading tone: 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7 7. Mode 2 of Neapolitan Major.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Leading 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|--------------------------------6-8-10-| B|-------------------------7-9-10--------| G|---------------------7-9---------------| D|------------6-7-8-10-------------------| A|--------7-9----------------------------| E|-6-8-10--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|------------------------------9-10-11---------| G|-------------------------9-11-----------------| D|-----------------8-10-12----------------------| A|---------9-11-12------------------------------| E|-8-10-12--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|-------------------------13-14-15-17----------------| D|-------------------14-16----------------------------| A|----------13-15-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19-------------------------| A|----------15-17-19----------------------------------| E|-16-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| ♯4 | E |
| ♯5 | F# |
| ♭7 | Ab |
| 7 | A |
Chords in Bb Leading Whole Tone
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | Caug | — | Supertonic |
| III | D | D7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | Am | Am(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The Bb Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: Bb, C, D, E, F#, Ab, A.
- What chords are in the Bb Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of Bb Leading Whole Tone are Bbaug (I+), Caug (II+), D (III), F#dim (♯v°), Am (vii).
- What is the formula of the leading whole tone scale?
- 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7 7, which is the step pattern W W W W W H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.