B Whole Tone Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
B Whole Tone Pentatonic in 8-string — Notes and Intervals
The B Whole Tone Pentatonic scale is a weightless and tonally ambiguous five-note scale. On Guitar, the notes are B, D#, F, G, A. Because it lacks a traditional center, it creates a blurring effect, making it highly effective for dream sequences, transitions, and creating a sense of suspended reality in film scores. Commonly used in Film Scores, Ambient, Impressionist, Experimental. Notable players include Claude Debussy, Bill Frisell. Use over augmented chords, whole tone passages. Effective for creating a sense of suspended reality.
Notes: B, D#, F, G, A
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 5d, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 3 b4 b5
Formula: 4-W-W-W-W
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 8-string Tuning
The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.
With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.
Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments
Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead
Musical Character
Lacks any tonal center — every note is equidistant. Creates a blurring, impressionistic effect perfect for transitions and dream sequences.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Drop D
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in DADGAD
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Open G
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in 7-string
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Drop C
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Drop B
- B Whole Tone Pentatonic in Open D