Guitar scale · exotic
C 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.
C 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|-------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|-----------------------------9-11-12---------| G|------------------------9-11-----------------| D|--------------8-9-10-12----------------------| A|---------9-11--------------------------------| E|-8-10-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|----------------------------------11-12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-13-------------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------13-15-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------13-14-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|-------------------------15-16-17-19----------------| D|-------------------16-18----------------------------| A|----------15-17-19----------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-20-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------17-19-21----------------| D|-------------------18-20-21-------------------------| A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-18-19-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| 2 | D |
| 3 | E |
| ♯4 | F# |
| ♯5 | G# |
| ♭7 | Bb |
| 7 | B |
Chords in C 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 C Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | Daug | — | Supertonic |
| III | E | E7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | Bm | Bm(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The C Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: C, D, E, F#, G#, Bb, B.
- What chords are in the C Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of C Leading Whole Tone are Caug (I+), Daug (II+), E (III), G#dim (♯v°), Bm (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 C Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.