Whole Tone Scales on Piano
The whole tone scale is built entirely from whole steps — six notes with no half steps, creating a dreamlike, floating, and ambiguous sound. Because every interval is identical, the scale has no strong tonal center, no leading tone, and no pull toward resolution. Debussy used it extensively, and it appears in jazz over augmented and dominant 7♯5 chords.
Formula: W–W–W–W–W–W (all whole steps)
Intervals: P1–M2–M3–A4–A5–m7–P8
Scale degrees: 1–2–3–♯4–♯5–♭7
Sound: Dreamy, floating, impressionistic, unresolved
Also known as: Messiaen mode 1 (first mode of limited transposition)
Whole Tone Scale in All Keys
Only two distinct whole tone scales exist (C and D♭). Every other starting note produces one of these two collections.
C Whole Tone Scale
C# Whole Tone Scale
Db Whole Tone Scale
D Whole Tone Scale
D# Whole Tone Scale
Eb Whole Tone Scale
E Whole Tone Scale
F Whole Tone Scale
F# Whole Tone Scale
Gb Whole Tone Scale
G Whole Tone Scale
G# Whole Tone Scale
Ab Whole Tone Scale
A Whole Tone Scale
A# Whole Tone Scale
Bb Whole Tone Scale
B Whole Tone Scale
Cb Whole Tone Scale
Want the full theory?
Intervals, construction formulas, practice strategies, and how this scale connects to others.