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SCALE · ON PIANO

D♭ Whole Tone

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

MEIMIDIHumdrum
Choose a root
Meter:Octave per barCrotchets in 4/4Quavers in 4/4Triplets in 4/4
Engraved by Verovio 6.2.0-43f8060 3 title D♭ Whole Tone
Engraved by Verovio 6.2.0-43f8060 2 3 4 5 title D♭ Whole Tone
Verovio
Tempo120 bpm

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

Keyboard
FGABFGABFGABD♭E♭D♭E♭D♭E♭
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.