Guitar scale · exotic
G 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.
G 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|-----------------------------3-5-7-| B|-----------------------4-6-7-------| G|-------------------4-6-------------| D|-----------3-4-5-7-----------------| A|-------4-6-------------------------| E|-3-5-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-7-9-| B|-----------------------6-7-8-------| G|-------------------6-8-------------| D|-------------5-7-9-----------------| A|-------6-8-9-----------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|------------------------------8-10--------| G|----------------------8-10-11-------------| D|---------------7-9-11---------------------| A|--------8-9-10----------------------------| E|-7-9-11-----------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-13----------------------------| A|----------10-12-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|----------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
How to play G Leading Whole Tone on guitar
Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G 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 3–7. 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 | G |
| 2 | A |
| 3 | B |
| ♯4 | C# |
| ♯5 | D# |
| ♭7 | F |
| 7 | F# |
Chords in G 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 G Leading Whole Tone; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| II+ | Aaug | — | Supertonic |
| III | B | B7 | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯v° | D#dim | D#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| vii | F#m | F#m(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the G Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The G Leading Whole Tone Scale has 7 notes: G, A, B, C#, D#, F, F#.
- What chords are in the G Leading Whole Tone Scale?
- The chords of G Leading Whole Tone are Gaug (I+), Aaug (II+), B (III), D#dim (♯v°), F#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 G Leading Whole Tone on the guitar?
- The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.