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C♭ Whole Tone Scale

Hear the C♭ Whole Tone Scale played for you.

C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F – G – B𝄫 – C♭
Formula:W-W-W-W-W-W
Intervals:P1-M2-M3-A4-A5-m7

Introduction

The C♭ Whole Tone scale contains six notes: C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G, and B𝄫. It follows the whole-step / half-step pattern W-W-W-W-W-W.

C♭ Whole Tone Scale Notes

DegreeNameNoteInterval
1TonicC♭P1
2SupertonicD♭M2
3MediantE♭M3
4SubdominantFA4
5DominantGA5
6SubmediantB𝄫m7
7Leading ToneC♭

Key Signature

The key of Cb Whole Tone has 7 flats.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

BEADGCF

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of C♭ Whole Tone Scale

These are the diatonic triads built on each degree of the C♭ Whole Tone Scale:

C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
IB Major (major)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1IB MajorMajor
2iiD♭ MinorMinor
3iiiE♭ MinorMinor
4IVE MajorMajor
5VG♭ MajorMajor
6viA♭ MinorMinor
7vii°B♭ DiminishedDiminished

C♭ Whole Tone Scale — Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in the Cb Whole Tone Scale?
The Cb Whole Tone Scale contains six notes: Cb – Db – Eb – F – G – Bbb. The notes table above shows each note with its scale degree and interval from the root.
How many sharps or flats does Cb Whole Tone have?
The key of Cb Whole Tone has 7 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭. Flats are added in a fixed order — B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭ — the reverse of the sharp order.
What does the Cb Whole Tone Scale sound like?
The Cb Whole Tone Scale has a dreamy, ambiguous quality with no half-steps — used by Debussy and in dream sequences. Listen to the audio playback above to hear the character on every note.

Related Tools

Circle of FifthsVisualize key relationships, relative minors, and key signatures.Chord FinderLook up any chord — see the notes, hear it, and play along.Practice RoomPlug in a MIDI keyboard and get real-time feedback on every chord and scale.Chord DrillTimed drills to build speed and recognition across all chord types.MIDI MonitorLive MIDI message stream with note names, velocity, and a scrolling staff.