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|-----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|--------------------------------10-12-13---------| G|--------------------------10-12------------------| D|---------------9-10-11-13------------------------| A|---------10-12-----------------------------------| E|-9-11-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-15-| B|----------------------------------12-13-14----------| G|----------------------------12-14-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------12-14-15----------------------------------| E|-11-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|----------------------------14-16-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-17-------------------------| A|----------14-15-16----------------------------------| E|-13-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-20-| B|-------------------------------------18-20----------| G|-------------------------16-17-18-20----------------| D|-------------------17-19----------------------------| A|----------16-18-20----------------------------------| E|-17-19-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------20-22----------| G|----------------------------18-20-22----------------| D|-------------------19-21-22-------------------------| A|----------18-20-22----------------------------------| E|-19-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 9–13. 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.
C# Leading Whole Tone is also written Db Leading Whole Tone: Db Eb F G A Cb C. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| 3 | E# |
| ♯4 | G |
| ♯5 | A |
| ♭7 | B |
| 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+ | C#aug | C#maj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | D#aug | — | Supertonic |
| III | E# | E#7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | Adim | Am7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | B#m | B#m(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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- 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
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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#, G, A, B, B#.
- What chords are in the C# Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of C# Leading Whole Tone are C#aug (I+), D#aug (II+), E# (III), Adim (♯v°), B#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 C# Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.