Whole Tone Scale

The whole tone scale is built entirely from whole steps — six notes evenly spaced. Because every interval is equal, the scale has no gravitational centre: no leading tone, no half-step pull in any direction. The sound is floating, ambiguous, and dreamlike. Debussy used it extensively to create his characteristic impressionistic haze. Jazz musicians use it over augmented and dominant chords with a ♭13 (♭6).

Construction

C whole tone scale:
C  D  E  F#  G#  A#  C
W  W  W  W   W   W

Six notes, all a whole step apart.
Formula: 1  2  3  #4  #5  ♭7

There are only two distinct whole tone scales — every other starting note gives you the same set of six pitches:

Scale 1: C D E F# G# A#  (C Db D Eb)
Scale 2: C# D# F G A B   (Db Eb F G A B)

Every note belongs to exactly one of these two groups.

Sound and Character

Ambiguous, floating, unresolved. Without any half steps, there's no tension-resolution pull. The augmented sound comes through clearly — the ♯4 (tritone) and ♯5 give it a lifted, unmoored quality. Extended long lines in whole tone create a sense of suspension that can feel magical or eerie depending on context.

Debussy's piano music is the defining example — "Voiles" is built almost entirely on the whole tone scale. In jazz, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock both used it effectively. Miles Davis's "Whole Lotta Love" intro figure outlines whole tone movement.

Use Over Dominant Chords

G7 chord tones: G B D F
G whole tone:   G A B C# D# F

The scale contains: root (G), major 3rd (B), ♭7 (F)
And adds: 9th (A), ♯11 (C#/D♭), ♯13/♭7 (D#/E♭)

The whole tone scale works over augmented dominant chords (7♯5) and dominant 7th chords with alterations. It gives you the ♯11 and ♯5 simultaneously — a bright, tense dominant colour. It doesn't have a natural 5th, which is either a limitation or an advantage depending on whether you want that grounding.

Symmetry and Limitations

The scale's symmetry is both its strength and its weakness. Because every note is equidistant, licks and patterns sound the same no matter where you start — which makes it easy to use but limits variety. Long passages in whole tone become monotonous. The most effective approach is short bursts — a measure or two — before returning to a more asymmetric scale with more contrast.