fuaranScale Mastery
SCALE · ON PIANO

D𝄫 Whole Tone

Six whole-tone steps — symmetric. Debussy's signature colour; floats without resolving.

MEIMIDIHumdrum
Choose a root
Tempo120 bpm

Audio source: tonejs-instruments by Nick Brosowsky (MIT)

Engraved by Verovio 6.2.0-43f8060 5 title D𝄫 Whole Tone Verovio
Keyboard
D𝄫E𝄫F♭D𝄫G♭A♭B♭
Related scales
Same scale, other instruments
Same scale, other tonics
Modes built on this tonic
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Theory reference
Questions
What notes are in the D𝄫 Whole Tone scale?

The D𝄫 Whole Tone scale uses the notes D𝄫, E𝄫, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ (one octave; the pattern repeats at higher registers).

What's the Whole Tone scale formula?

The Whole Tone scale follows the interval pattern W W W W W W, where W = whole step (2 semitones) and H = half step (1 semitone). Apply that pattern starting on D𝄫 to get the D𝄫 Whole Tone scale.

What chords work over D𝄫 Whole Tone?

Try chord pairings derived from the scale's third, fifth, and seventh degrees as roots — they share the most diatonic notes.

How do I finger D𝄫 Whole Tone on Piano?

On piano, scales typically use a 1-2-3 / 1-2-3-4 thumb-under pattern for white-key scales. Black-key scales (F♯, G♭, etc.) shift the thumb-under positions onto white keys for ergonomic clearance. Hanon Exercise No. 1 and Czerny Op. 599 No. 1 work through the canonical pattern.

When would I use the Whole Tone scale?

Six whole-tone steps — symmetric. Debussy's signature colour; floats without resolving.