Chord Colors

B♭ Whole Tone scale
PianoGuitar

About the B flat Whole Tone scale

B 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 B♭ Prometheus with the sixth lowered.

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

Also called Auxiliary Augmented and Messiaen Mode 1.

Learn more about the B♭ Whole Tone scale

The black keys B♭, G♭, and A♭ belong to B♭ Whole Tone. That raised fourth spells out to the white key E.

Notes and intervals

1BbB♭Root
2CCMajor 2nd
3DDMajor 3rd
4EEAugmented 4th
5GbG♭Minor 6th
6AbA♭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 flat Whole Tone scaleA Whole Tone scaleB Whole Tone scale

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Bb Whole Tone scale on piano shown as colored note dots
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