Guitar scale · exotic
B 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.
B 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|-----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|---------------------------8-10-11--------| G|----------------------8-10----------------| D|-------------7-8-9-11---------------------| A|--------8-10------------------------------| E|-7-9-11-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|--------------------------------10-11-12---------| G|--------------------------10-12------------------| D|------------------9-11-13------------------------| A|---------10-12-13--------------------------------| E|-9-11-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------12-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-16-18----------------| D|-------------------15-17----------------------------| A|----------14-16-18----------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------18-20----------| G|----------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|-------------------17-19-20-------------------------| A|----------16-18-20----------------------------------| E|-17-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| 3 | D# |
| ♯4 | E# |
| ♯5 | G |
| ♭7 | A |
| 7 | A# |
Chords in B 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 B Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Baug | Bmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | C#aug | — | Supertonic |
| III | D# | D#7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | Gdim | Gm7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | A#m | A#m(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B Leading Whole Tone anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the B Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The B Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D#, E#, G, A, A#.
- What chords are in the B Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of B Leading Whole Tone are Baug (I+), C#aug (II+), D# (III), Gdim (♯v°), A#m (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 B Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.