When learning scales, most guitarists tend to focus on major scales and modes which are important, but one lesser studied symmetrical scale that can add some flavour to your playing is the whole tone scale. There are also only two whole tone scales in total in the universe. Since there are only two possible whole tone scale positions that is, the whole tone scale can be transposed only once, it is either c2 0 or c2 1. Whole tone scale guitar diagram in 2020 guitar lessons, jazz. Skip to blind accessible version of dsharp whole tone guitar scale. Fretboard freedom favorited by thelonious monk and characteristic of dream sequences, the whole tone scale is perhaps the weirdest set of notes. The scale is built by using one interval, a tone, between each note. Here are some guitar diagrams, scales charts and licks. An introduction to symmetrical scales for guitar guitar. This symmetrical scale formula is all whole steps resulting in 193. I suggest to use it just on the dominant 7th chord. Home symmetric scales wholetone scale d wholetone scale d wholetone scale play piano scales in all keys home symmetric scales wholetone scale d wholetone scale. The composer olivier messiaen called the whole tone scale his first mode of limited transposition.
All of the essential guitar scales are included, such as blues, pentatonic and major shapes. The 12bar and e major pentatonic scales respectively above, left. Heres a free guitar scales pdf ebook 22 pages with plenty of scales and arpeggios patterns. Jul 12, 2016 the whole tone scale works over this chord as well. To help you visualize how the whole tone scale is constructed, here is a layout of the.
I mentioned that there were two applications of the whole tone scale, and weve really only looked at one, its use over a dominant chord. This pdf method for guitar contains 40 ii v i jazz guitar lines with tab. This pdf contains the scale charts for the blues scale in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. For each scale, you can learn a number of different shapes and patterns, depending on the zone of the fretboard youre working on. This means that it also has less notes than most of the other scales you use. Augmented scale guitar diagram two octaves 1 jazz guitar. It is also symmetric on the guitar as it is the same exact fingering in every position. To purchase the lower cost pdf format of scales you can use. Now the whole tone scale is literally what it sounds like, it is made up of whole notes, no semitones, unlike other common scales.
The wholetone scale can be used to add tensions to your jazz guitar. The whole tone scale for guitar guitarskillbuilder. The wholetone scale is a great scale to learn if you want to add some crunch to your lines. The parallel lines of the frets and string work in your favor. The whole tone scale, consisting entirely of whole tones is in contradistinction to the chromatic scale which consists entirely of half steps or semitones, as well as diatonic scales like the major and minor scales which consist of semitones and whole tones. The whole tone scale has no leading tone and because all tones are the same distance apart, no single tone stands out, and the scale creates a blurred, indistinct effect. Whole tone scale guitar diagram jazz guitar lessons, music lessons, guitar scales. Each note of the scale will always be two frets after the proceeding note. The whole tone scale has some pretty cool shapes in it. The whole tone scale is a coolsounding dominant 7th scale that you can use to add tension to your dominant 7th chords. Constructing the scale is rather simplesix wholesteps and youre there.
The whole tone scale is an elusive and, for most musicians, problematic series of notes. Scale tone stepwise bass with chord inversions 291 2. To access courses again, please join linkedin learning. Almost an hour chock full of explanations, demonstrations, musical illustrations and examples, this is a must for those.
This effect is especially emphasised by the fact that triads built on such scale tones are all augmented triads. Fretboard topologies boo to compose, improvise, and explore the instrument. Jun 26, 2015 music theory for guitar whole tone scale move forward guitar. You will never be at a loss of what notes to play when. The whole tone scale is a nice tool to get some shifting outside ideas on a minor chord and has been used for this by quite a few people since the 60s. The whole tone scale can spice up your blues solos very easily. Introduction to whole tone scales, this 56 minute video lesson covers the scales construction, diatonic harmony, scale fingerings and uses as a soloing device. Regardless what instrument you play, learning to play scales is a rite of passage. Dec 10, 2014 in this lesson ill show you two ways to play the whole tone scale up and down the fretboard. The fretboard is shown with the lowest pitch string at the bottom and the highest pitch string at the top unless youve tuned your instrument differently. Pdf total guitar the ultimate scale book guilherme mauricio. If you are ready to finally learn how to play real jazz guitar, then this course is for you.
Fingering is a personal choice of which finger feels natural to you. The whole tone scale is, as the name implies, built from notes with intervals of a whole note. The easiest way to use a whole tone scale musically, for me, is to play any whole tone lick e. Because of the scales construction theres a few cool ways that you can apply it on the guitar neck and use it in your playing. Notice how the whole tone scale helps us to link all these ideas together in a way that sounds logical. It provides a full accounting of 5, 6, and 7note scales containing intervals no larger than a major third and selected 8note scales, chiefly to account for the bebop scales and the diminished scale. Here is an example of a lead guitar solo incorporating whole tone scales. Get tab for this lesson and complete access to all. Pdf vector best quality major scale in c all positions covering the fretboard. Click here for a free printable high quality pdf file of this guitar scale. Two mutually exclusive wholetone scales are formed by choosing alternate notes of the chromatic scale which has 12 notes per octave. Full of explanations, demonstrations and examples and rehearsed with you slowly and close up. Whole tone scale diagrams beginning on each of the 12 chromatic tones.
Thus, the wholetone scale comprises six degrees per octave. This is a list of notable musical works which use the whole tone scale bela bartok. The pattern for a wholetone scale is easy to remember because it consists only of whole steps w. It works over a dominant 7th chord so use that chord from the jam tracks. The ebook contains the most important scales for beginners, such as major and minor, but shows also more advanced. Free guitar scales pdf 84 scale and arpeggios chart.
Its the repeating patterns thing i go on about all the time. The whole tone scale consists of note a whole step apart. We can simplify and summarize all 12 whole tone scales to just 2 scale types. A whole tone scale is a symmetric scale which means it divides the octave completely evenly. Scales a whole tone scale bass ultimate guitar archive. There are two modes depending on wether we start to play with the whole tone, in this case we will call it fully diminished scale, or with the half tone, called dominant diminished scale. Learning the whole tone scale hexatonic simplifying theory. The wholehalf step formula is the perfect way to build and recognize the pattern of any scale. As the name suggests, the whole tone scale is constructed purely from whole steps 2 frets. Aug 03, 2019 whole tone scale whole tone scale for guitar whole tone scale theory as its name suggests, a wholetone scale is simply a series of notes a tone apart there are no other intervals such as a semitone, or minor third between the notes, and every note in the scale can be considered to be its root. Join julian velard for an indepth discussion in this video locrian mode and the whole tone scale, part of music theory for songwriters. List of pieces which use the whole tone scale wikipedia.
The whole tone scale is made up of six notes, which is smaller than the major scale modes but is bigger than the pentatonic scale, and it actually fits fairly easily under the fingers on the fretboard. Watch the whole tone scale online guitar lesson by dweezil zappa from dweezology. They are both very interesting and have very specific uses, so learn them when you know how youll use them. Example guitar solo incorporating wholetone scales. Thats not the whole scale were missing a note in it but if you wanted to improvise in it, or have some fun with it playing. For example with the first diagram for the minor pentatonic, the red dot is the. Guitar whole tone scale chart printable pdf subject. How to use whole tone scales june 22, 2019 january 28, 2011 by admin whole tone scales have an tonally ambiguous sound that can sound quite out of place if used to improvise with in standard rock and pop songs though you shouldnt let that stop you trying. The whole tone scale for guitar jazz guitar online.
Finger fret the barre with the harder edge of your finger when you can. The wholetone scale is an elusive and, for most musicians, problematic series of notes. Diminished scale complete diminished scale on one page. This is a socalled symmetrical scale, meaning that the interval is the same throughout the scale. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees. So that would be another way to build a whole tone scale over two octaves. Show me chords that sound good with a d whole tone scale. The whole tone scale is a symmetrical scale with only one interval between each note. For this, it is just playing the hexatonic of the own dominant in question.
Stepping stones the basics of jazz guitar barry greene. Heres a chart containing the 7 modes of the c major scale. A whole tone is the same as two steps on the keyboard a half tone is consequently one step. It actually is every note of the g whole tone scale. The scales you need for soloing, chord construction, chord progressions, arpeggios and a dozen of other things. Aug 17, 2001 there are only two whole tone scales with different notes in as each step of the scale is a whole tone. Tune learning each lesson with the exception of the ear training lesson comes with a thorough pdf in both notation and tab. Jun 22, 2019 backing track for improvisation with wholetone scale whole tone scale improvisation example. Whole tones scales are underused in rock music, but their lack of tonal center provide great opportunities for a progressive sound. Dominant 9th chords with raised 5ths are really weird but believe it or not, i have run across them in charts before. In this lesson i will be explaining how to play the whole tone scale on guitar by explaining how its formed. The whole tone scale is often one of the first symmetrical scales that many guitarists explore in their studies and is a coolsounding dominant 7th scale that you can use to add tension to your 7th chords.
Jim gleasons guitar encyclopedia encyclopedia of licks. Pentatonic guitar magic how to use the simple pentatonic scale to solo over chords from blues to rock tojazz. Harmonic major scale tone chord root movement 290 b. Unless you really want to get weird and just want to add some really bizarre stuff to impress your friends that are into jazz, fussion and contemporary classic music.
Com the whole tone guitar scale whole tone scale 12fr. Nice, but you are interested in knowing what this scale is and where to use it. The composer and music theorist george perle calls the whole tone scale interval cycle 2, or c2. This is the foundation to becoming a learned musician, rather than merely a recreational player. You should practice the whole tone scale full range, in thirds, in triads, etc. Diminished scale half whole diminished scales can be a lot of fun but these are one of those ones you really should know.
The major scale, harmonic minor scale and melodic minor scale all have seven different notes and an eighth note that repeats the first. A wholetone scale is a scale made entirely of whole steps and has only six notes. In this, my first instructable, i will attempt to chronicle the construction of a simple lap steel guitar. Get the feel of the whole tone scale in your hands and to understand how to use it in improv. Guitar scales the 6 most common guitar scales guitar orb. There is a very powerful secret in this ebook that most dont know about. As well as a complete rundown of all the most useful and useable scale shapes. There are two very interesting scales that are symmetrical in intervals, the diminished scale and the whole tone. Download our free pdf versions of each scale with fingering. Whole tone is a symmetrical mode so any melody you play can be moved up or down in whole steps or major 3rds.
You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here. Most people think of using the whole tone scale for augmented chords, but you can build 7. To me its a interesting scale that should be used sparingly for variety in your playing. Free guitar lessons with tab and animation menu skip to content. In this lesson, well concentrate on the modes of the major scale the major scale being the parent scale in this case. Scale tone bass movement in perfect fourths with chord inversions. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all.
In this lesson, you will learn how to build the whole tone scale and apply it to your jazz guitar playing. Scale patterns as i mentioned in the previous article, you should always practice all of your scales as you would practice your major scales. Because there are no semitones, all thirds are major, and thus all triads are augmented. But because any note of the scale can be considered the root, it does create a sound that seems to wander aimlessly. We can also use it, sort of, over a minor chord, but when we do we have to play it a semitone lower. The whole tone scale is a hexatonic scale, which means it contains 6 notes. Guitar scales guitar scales regardless what instrument you play, learning to play scales is a rite of passage. To see the scale centered on any portion of the fretboard use your mouse to drag the green outline left or right.
How to play wholetone scales on guitar jamieholroydguitar. The whole tone scale is a great scale to learn if you want to add some crunch to your lines. The first is a pattern that stays in position and can be repeated on every note of the scale. Jazz players will find bebop scales, altered scales, whole tone scales, for metal players there are all the modal scales, phrygian dominant scales and minor scales. Home symmetric scales whole tone scale d whole tone scale.
It is an eightnote scale octatonic built by alternating whole and half steps. I have no idea about whether or not the whole tone scale has modes, but if i understand it right, there should only be two different whole tone scales numbering notes 112 the odd and the even, so i would think modes dont play as big a part as with other scales. Watch the whole tone scale online guitar lesson by bruce arnold from total modal whole tone is our 1st 6 note mode. Enjoy experimenting with the whole tone scale, and remember, there are only two of them, so they arent too difficult to learn. In this article, i go over the c whole tone scale, the chords that can be built from the notes and practical application of the scale when playing leads. The minor pentatonic scale is typically the first scale guitarists learn to solo with.
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