A Leading Whole Tone Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 7-string tuning — fretboard diagram
A Leading Whole Tone in 7-string — Notes and Intervals
The A Leading Whole Tone scale is a symmetrical scale that combines the weightless blur of the whole-tone system with a final bit of traditional resolution tension. On Guitar, its notes are A, B, C#, D#, F, G, G#. It is used to create a sense of floating that eventually finds a home. Commonly used in Impressionist, Film Scores, Jazz. Notable players include Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel. Use as a transition device or over augmented chords that need to resolve. The leading tone provides a gentle gravitational pull absent in pure whole tone.
Notes: A, B, C#, D#, F, G, G#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4A, 5A, 7m, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 #4 #5 b6 7
Formula: W-W-W-W-W-H-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: 7-string (B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 7-string Tuning
The 7-string guitar adds a low B string below the standard 6-string tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E), extending the instrument's range into bass territory. This extra low end has become essential in progressive metal, djent, and modern heavy music, enabling crushing low-end riffs while maintaining access to standard guitar voicings on the upper strings.
Pioneered by jazz guitarist George Van Eps and later brought into the metal mainstream by Steve Vai and Korn, the 7-string guitar has become a staple of modern heavy music. Players like Tosin Abasi, Misha Mansoor, and John Petrucci have pushed the instrument's capabilities into new territory, using the extended range for complex harmonic progressions, polyrhythmic riffs, and sweeping arpeggios that span an enormous tonal range.
Notable artists: Dream Theater, Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Korn, Meshuggah
Best for: Progressive metal riffs, extended-range chord voicings, djent rhythms, and jazz fusion harmony
Musical Character
Combines the weightless blur of the whole-tone scale with a final half-step that provides just enough resolution tension — floating that eventually finds a home.