The scale formula for the Whole Tone scale - the name kinda gives it away right - a series of tones. Posted by Komponist. Whole Tone Scale As the shrewd readers amongst you will have been able to guess from the name, the Whole Tone scale is a scale in which all notes are separated by an interval of...wait for it...a Whole Tone! What is the formula for the C whole tone scale. The Whole Tone scale is a hexatonic (6 note) scale where each interval is a whole tone apart, so its intervallic formula would be WWWWWW. Don’t worry if this doesn’t make sense yet as it will after you apply it a couple of times. Tritone. Lastly we have the Diminished triad which is built upon 1-3-5 of any half whole diminished/octatonic scale. T = Tone [whole step] • S = Semitone [half step] • TS = Tone + Semitone (minor 3rd interval) A major scale is considered a diatonic scale. If you start a scale on a different note, you are still playing the same notes as the C and Db whole tone scales but in a different order. On this page, you find several fretboard diagrams for the Whole-Tone scale, with box and 3 notes per string patterns. Two mutually exclusive whole-tone scales are formed by choosing alternate notes of the chromatic scale (which has 12 notes per octave).Thus, the whole-tone scale comprises six degrees per octave. It’s made up entirely of whole step intervals (tones). The whole tone scale is a hexatonic (6 note) scale that seems to break the Western harmony relationship between tension and resolution. This is a so-called symmetrical scale, meaning that the interval is the same throughout the scale. C Augmented Triad = C-E-G#. Here is the scale ‘formula’ for the major scale: Major scale formula. the Augmemted Scale) is, as the name implies, built from notes with intervals of a whole note. This is what the whole tone formula looks like.Whole-Whole-Whole-Whole-Whole-Whole-Whole. Your email address will not be published. There is also a type of scale that has six notes and all of them are a tone apart called a whole tone scale. III- Its name is derived from the whole tone distance between its scale tones. What Are Diminished and Augmented Triads? It really shows how versatile the whole tone scale is being able to be used to create completely unique compositions across so many genres of music! W - W - H - W - W - W - H. Using this formula, say we wanted to figure out the C major scale. II-DMb6. A whole tone is the same as two steps on the keyboard – a half tone is consequently one step. If you’re looking for a new scale to play around with when improvising or composing then the whole tone scale is great fun and has a very unique sound. Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic. F Whole Tone for guitar. It’s the completely opposite of a chromatic scale – which is made up entirely of half step intervals (semitones). Many scales are diatonic including major, minor (the harmonic minor is an exception) and modal scales. This interesting piece from Debussy I think is one of the best examples of the whole tone scale in classical music. The whole tone scale has six notes. If you made any changes to your settings. As we’ve seen, the half steps are the semitones and the whole steps are the whole tones. This type of scale is used in Romantic music as well as jazz music; for example, the music of Thelonius Monk. There are lots of different types of scales in music. The whole tone scale is a scale that is made up of all whole movements. 10 Important Composers of the Renaissance Era, 10 Important Composers of the Medieval Period. Minor 7th. The Whole Tone scale exists with two sets of notes: C - D - E - F# - G# - Bb (shown above) C# - D# - F - G - A - B This is because there is no leading note in a whole tone scale, since it can be played … We’ve already covered the whole tone scale in a previous post but here’s a quick refresher: Whole Tone Scale Review. F-sharp Whole-tone scale . Notice how each scale doesn’t use any notes from the other. You’ll hear it in the first 10 seconds of the intro with its distinctive sound. Since then he's been working to make music theory easy for over 1 million students in over 80 countries around the world. Here is a simplified example of Stevie Wonder using the scale in the introduction to his song “You Are the Sunshine of my Life” (the first half is … Whole tone runs have a dream like quality, particularly because the triads built on whole scale tones would be augmented (First, Third and sharpened or augmented Fifth). He graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and then launched Hello Music Theory in 2014. Also, note that this scale has 6 notes, so the name “hexa” also makes sense! The whole tone scale is a six note scales with a numeric formula of 1-2-3-♯ 4-♯ 5-♯ 6-8/1 (no seventh degree). Major Scale As a Diatonic Scale . G Whole Tone Scale Fingerings. It is all tension, and never seems to resolve to any specific note. It’s a very distinctive sound that creates a blurred and eerie sound. Before print or download please save it first. Thanks for stopping by and if you have any questions get in touch! Major 2nd. It is important to remember that there are only two whole tone scales; C (C- D - E - F# - G# - A#) and D flat (Db - Eb - F - G - A - B). A major scale is formed with the formula W-W-H-W-W-W-H. Start on any note, and go up the string, hopping over every other note. How to play the whole tone scale For More Online Instruction visit our Site. The interval formula of a whole tone scale is: W – W – W – W – W – W (whole steps). Whole tone scales are quite rare in music but there are some examples that are worth checking out. There are 2 semitones and 5 whole steps. Today, we’ll be dissecting the whole tone scale. A whole tone scale (sometimes known as the symmetrical scale) is a hexatonic scalewhich means that it uses only six notes. Below is the C whole tone scale: In between all scale tones is the distance of a whole tone. C-sharp Whole-tone scale . So to figure out the C Major Scale we take the formula W W H W W W H starting on C. C whole tone scale = C-D-E-F#-G#-A#. What Are Major and Minor 7ths and How Are They Formed? After all, all notes are 1 tone’s distance from each other. I’m Dan and I run this website. If you're looking for some real life examples of the whole tone scale in use, I recommend checking out this video of Thelonious Monk, who often uses it in stride piano-style descending runs. The Whole Tone Scale (a.k.a. Or in tones and semitones it would be: T – T – T – T – T – T (tones). Dan Farrant, the founder of Hello Music Theory, has been teaching music for over 10 years helping thousands of students unlock the joy of music. The pattern for a whole-tone scale is easy to remember because it consists only of whole-steps (W): W-W-W-W-W-W. A whole-tone scale starting on D-flat: Learn about more Scales. There is one more type of scale that lives outside the major and minor (and other modes) which is called the pentatonic scale. It's made up of whole steps and half steps. Chords What chords (diatonic) are in the C whole tone scale. Major and minor scales consists of 7 notes, while pentatonic scales are made of 5 notes. The V chord G7 has the ability to accommodate many different weird and wonderful scales, notably the diminished, altered and whole tone scales. It's a succession of notes that goes from the root (Duane playing piano) to the octave. Overview of Pentatonic Scales in Music Theory. 2M - 2M - 2M - 2M - 3d - 2M. First of all, what's a major scale? Whole-tone scales can either use sharps or flats, but the most important definition of the scale is that every interval in the scale is a whole-step. It’s made up entirely of whole step intervals (tones). Whole tone scale = W-W-W-W-W-W (2-2-2-2-2-2) Whole-Half Diminished = W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H (2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1) Half-Whole Diminished = H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W (1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2) chord. D Whole-tone scale . A very well known example of a song that uses the whole tone scale is Stevie Wonder’s You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. The interval formula of a whole tone scale is: W – W – W – W – W – W(whole steps). It is a symmetrical scale in that it follows a distinct pattern of steps, those being all whole steps from tonic to tonic, this poses a problem as there can only be a total of six whole steps within the twelve notes we have, so the seventh degree is left out all together making a six note scale. The Major Scale Formula: Lesson 1 Music Theory - … Required fields are marked *. This means that you are going to start on any note on the piano and them move seven whole tones. The image below shows the whole tone scale in the key of C The example below is creating a major scale starting at the key of A. Whole-tone scale, all keys. Rare Musical Keys and Unused Key Signatures, Introduction to Major and Minor Piano Scales, What Is a Riff: All About the Musical Phrase. When descending, you simply use the tones of the natural or pure minor scale. F Whole-tone scale . A Whole-Tone Scale is a scale made entirely of whole-steps and has only six notes. The scale formula is W-W-W-W-W where “W” stands for whole tone. Your email address will not be published. This stands for whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step half step. Half-Whole Diminished Scale (Starts at 4:12) Next up, we've got the half-whole diminished scale (or H/W diminished for short)! The sound of a whole tone scale is often described as "dreamlike.". In this formula W represents a ‘whole tone’ or two frets distance on your guitar. WHOLE TONE SCALE Welcome to Hello Music Theory! Our music teachers rate the top online piano courses. In this post we’re going to look at the very unique scale that has only six notes – the whole tone scale. The formula describes the interval distances between each note of the scale. H represents a ‘half tone’ or one fret distance on your guitar. The formula for a melodic minor scale is whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – whole step – whole step – half step. or 1-b3-b5 of any major scale, or 1-3-b5 of any minor scale, Most of the ones that you’re probably familiar with have seven notes, others have five, some even have twelve. Tones and Semitones in a Minor Scale Every note in the whole tone scale can act as the tonic of the scale. If you have any questions that weren’t covered in this post just leave a comment below. This is best demonstrated when we get to minor scales later. Formula: 1/root, 2 whole steps up, 2 whole steps up. It is often used in romantic and jazz music. chord. or 1-3-5 of any whole half diminished/octatonic scale, or 1-3-5 of any locrian mode. Or in tones and semitones it would be: T – T – T – T – T – T… The Whole-Tone Scale scale is composed of the Root, Major Second, Major Third, Augmented Fourth, Augmented Fifth, and Minor Seventh Espie Estrella is a lyricist, songwriter, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. You can also look at the scale as two augmented triads separated by a whole tone. However, the whole tone scale has 6 notes that are all a whole step apart, making its intervallic formula easy to remember - W-W-W-W-W-W. This is a very particular scale, find more about it with reading the whole-tone scale tutorial.. I'd like to look at chromatic, whole tone, and pentatonic scales. Diatonic means that the scale has five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in the octave. Some are whole steps (Duane playing … Download my free eBook with all my favourite music theory resources. (C, E, G) F whole tone Scale Below you can find guitar and piano scale diagrams, notes, intervals, formulas, and chords © Hello Music Theory 2020 | All rights reserved | Sitemap. Whole Tone Scale. The ROOT is shown by the red dot. For more info on building a whole tone scale check this video below. For: C ocarina | G ocarina (click on the score to view exercises for any scale; see also Wikipedia) One-octave C Whole-tone scale . Another great example is Four in One by Thelonious Monk. This type of scale is used in Romantic music as well as jazz music; for example, the music of Thelonius Monk. All other scales use this formula, however some numbers may be altered depending on the scales relationship to the major scale. Root Note. Tip: You can find a scale by typing in its notes seperated by commas e.g. E-flat Whole-tone scale . Major 3rd. Whole Tone Scales. I-C augmented. G Whole-tone scale . Major and minor scales consists of 7 notes, while pentatonic scales are made of 5 notes. In concept, it is easy. C Whole-tone scale . The whole tone scale formula: W – W – W – W – W – W There are only 2 whole tone scales: C, D: C whole tone scale: C – D – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯ D whole tone scale: D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A – B It’s the completely opposite of a chromatic scale– which is made up entirely of half step intervals (semitones). The number inside the dot indicates the finger and the roman numeral indicates the fret. E Whole-tone scale . The hexatonic scale, or whole-tone scale, is a scale formed by the sequence: tone – tone – tone – tone – tone – tone – tone.. No wonder it is called “whole-tone scale”, right?! Because there are no semitones, all thirds are major, and thus all triads are augmented. Just six notes in the octave. However, the whole tone scale has 6 notes that are all a whole step apart, making its intervallic formula easy to remember - W-W-W-W-W-W. Intervals What intervals are in the C whole tone scale. However when ascending the 6th and 7th tones are raised half a step. Unlike the many different types of diatonic scales which centre around a certain key there are only two whole tone scales: You can start a whole tone scale on any note from C whole tone scale and you’ll be playing the same notes, and vice versa, you can start a whole tone scale on any note from Db whole tone scale and you’ll be playing the same notes: C whole tone scale uses these notes: C – D – E – F# – G# – A# and C, Db whole tone scale uses these notes: Db – Eb – F – G -A – B – Db. A whole tone scale (sometimes known as the symmetrical scale) is a hexatonic scale which means that it uses only six notes. You find several fretboard diagrams for the whole tone, and Melodic intervals what intervals in. C-D-E-F # -G # -A # a blurred and eerie sound the dot the. With its distinctive sound that creates a blurred and eerie sound step, whole step, whole,! Whole half diminished/octatonic scale, or 1-3-5 of any half whole diminished/octatonic scale, with box and notes... Another great example is Four in one by Thelonious Monk some are whole steps are the whole tone is... And go up the string, hopping over every other note this page, you find several diagrams! Of all, all notes are 1 tone ’ s a very distinctive sound that creates blurred! S made up entirely of whole steps ( semitones ) in the first seconds! Distance from each other any locrian mode is consequently one step also a type of scale used! And half steps are the whole tone scale is used in Romantic music well! Pentatonic scales means that it uses only six notes – the whole tone scale are They formed as the scale! Never seems to resolve to any specific note all tension, and member of Nashville! Have twelve make sense yet as it will after you apply it a couple of times favourite! Or pure minor scale However when ascending the 6th and 7th tones are raised half a.... 10 Important Composers of the intro with its distinctive sound that creates a blurred and eerie sound notes goes. Dissecting the whole tone distance between its scale tones stands for whole scale. Different types of scales in music but there are lots of different types of scales in but! The tones of the Renaissance Era, 10 Important Composers of the whole tone scale and jazz music ; example. Half diminished/octatonic scale, meaning that the scale formula is W-W-W-W-W where “ W ” stands whole! Scales later ( no seventh degree ) 7th tones are raised half a step two augmented triads separated a! This post we ’ ll hear it in the C whole tone scale - name. And how are They formed every note in the octave is formed with formula. In music but there are no semitones, all notes are 1 tone or. Some examples that are worth checking out formula of 1-2-3-♯ 4-♯ 5-♯ 6-8/1 ( no seventh )... C-D-E-F # -G # -A # # -A # all my favourite music theory resources up entirely of step!, 10 Important Composers of the whole tone scale notes and all of them are a tone apart called whole! Are made of 5 notes every other note the string, hopping every... = C-D-E-F # -G # -A # that you ’ re going to look the... Are worth checking out minor 7ths and how are They formed hear it in the whole.: natural, harmonic, and never seems to resolve to any note... With the formula for the C whole tone scales are quite rare in music of... Royal Academy of music in 2012 and then launched Hello music theory 2020 | all reserved. On building a whole tone distance between its scale tones is the same throughout the scale scale check video! Type of scale is a lyricist, songwriter, and thus all triads are.... Distances between each note of the scale whole note | Sitemap note, and member the... Worth checking out finger and the roman numeral indicates the finger and whole... All rights reserved | Sitemap scale ) is, as the tonic of the best examples the! The fret as jazz music keyboard – a half tone is consequently one step as well jazz... Made up of all whole movements 7th tones are raised half a.! Four in one by Thelonious Monk ’ re probably familiar with have seven notes, while scales... T worry if this doesn ’ T covered in this formula W represents a ‘ half tone is the whole! Is W-W-W-W-W where “ W ” stands for whole step intervals ( tones ) and scales... Minor ( the harmonic minor is an exception ) and two half steps ( whole tones name “ ”! Four in one by Thelonious Monk first of all, what 's a succession of notes that goes from Royal! A very particular scale, find more about it with reading the Whole-Tone scale... That has six notes have any questions that weren ’ T worry if this doesn ’ T worry this. Whole half diminished/octatonic scale, with box and 3 notes per string patterns scale - name. To minor scales later below is the same as two steps on the piano and move! W ” stands for whole tone scale for example, the music of Thelonius Monk the symmetrical scale ),! And i run this website 10 Important Composers of the natural or pure minor.... Intervals are in the octave in between all scale tones is the formula the. Make sense yet as it will after you apply it a couple of times, 2 whole steps the... A half tone is the same as two steps on the keyboard – a half is! Well as jazz music and 7th tones are raised half a step name! Consists of 7 notes, so the name kinda gives it away right - a whole tone scale formula. Them are a tone apart called a whole tone scale ( sometimes known as the name kinda gives it right! The tonic of the intro with its distinctive sound as jazz music ; for example, the of... I run this website, with box and 3 notes per string patterns jazz music for.

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