Chord Colors

A♭ Whole Tone scale
PianoGuitar

About the A flat Whole Tone scale

A flat Whole Tone is used for dream sequences, impressionist music and solos over dominant chords. Think of it as a scale of nothing but whole steps, floating with no clear home. It is A♭ Prometheus with the sixth lowered.

Its notes are A♭, B♭, C, D, F♭, and G♭. The formula is W W W W W W.

Also called Auxiliary Augmented and Messiaen Mode 1.

Learn more about the A♭ Whole Tone scale

A♭ Whole Tone uses three black keys on the piano, A♭, B♭, and G♭. Its raised fourth lands on the white key D.

Notes and intervals

1AbA♭Root
2BbB♭Major 2nd
3CCMajor 3rd
4DDAugmented 4th
5FbF♭Minor 6th
6GbG♭Minor 7th
StepsW W W W W W
Semitones2-2-2-2-2-2
Degrees1 2 3 ♯4 ♭6 ♭7

Shapes

Chromatic

CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭B

Circle of Fifths

CGDAEBF♯G♭C♯D♭G♯A♭D♯E♭A♯B♭F

Related scales

Whole Tone in other keys

C Whole Tone scaleD flat Whole Tone scaleD Whole Tone scaleE flat Whole Tone scaleE Whole Tone scaleF Whole Tone scaleG flat Whole Tone scaleG Whole Tone scaleA Whole Tone scaleB flat Whole Tone scaleB Whole Tone scale

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Ab Whole Tone scale on piano shown as colored note dots
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