F# Leading Whole Tone Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
F# Leading Whole Tone in 8-string — Notes and Intervals
The F# 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 F#, G#, A#, C, D, E, F. 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: F#, G#, A#, C, D, E, F
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: 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
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.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Standard Tuning
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Drop D
- F# Leading Whole Tone in DADGAD
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Open G
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Baritone (B Standard)
- F# Leading Whole Tone in 7-string
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Drop C
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Drop B
- F# Leading Whole Tone in Open D