Whole tone scale book

In music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by the interval of a whole tone. Exercises in this book cover long tones, scales, arpeggios, ascending and descending tetrachords, modes, scales in thirds, and arpeggiated diatonic chords for all major and minor keys followed by pairs of exercises for chromatic, major blues, minor blues, major pentatonic, minor pentatonic and whole tone scales. Thus, the whole tone scale comprises six degrees per octave. The whole tone scale is somewhat different from the majors and minors, since it has six notes instead of seven. Not an answer to your question, but perhaps of interest anyway. You can do the same thing with a whole tone scale, which i think sounds cooler. Wholetone scale article about wholetone scale by the free. The scale therefore sounds partly like a scale, partly like a broken chord. The wholetone scale is one of the modes of limited transposition, because there is only transposition of.

Adventist youth honors answer bookarts and craftsmusic. Wholetone scale music britannica encyclopedia britannica. In this case you could only take the scale up a semi tone because if it goes up one more semitone then you would be back to where you started. Jan 09, 2010 voiles, number 2 from book i of debussys preludes. In twelvetone equal temperament, there are only two complementary wholetone scales, both sixnote or hexatonic scales. The whole tone scale is constructed, just like it sounds, around whole tones, also known as whole. The whole tone scale is a sixnote or hexatonic scale. Jan 30, 2020 what makes this an example of the chromatic scale and not just chromaticism is that it is impossible to reduce the music to a diatonic or another kind of scale. The whole tone scale is one of the modes of limited transposition, because there is only transposition of this mode.

The entire scale can be built from just two augmented triads a major second apart. As a rule of thumb many people think of the scale as starting on the b9 of the chord, but of course it could just as easily be the 3rd, 5th or 7th. A whole tone is the same as two steps on the keyboard a half tone is consequently one step. Whole tone scales are very easy to build and to understand, since. May 20, 2015 this relationship is worthy of an article by itself, so i wrote one, but here we are talking about a very specific scale, the whole tone scale. In this tutorial were going to learn an uncommon type of guitar scale, the whole tone scale, that, as the name suggests, is composed of only whole tones take a look at your guitar and give yourself a little bit of a music theory reminder. The whole tone scale, consisting entirely of whole tones is in contradistinction to the chromatic scale which consists entirely of half steps or semitones, as well as diatonic scales like the major and minor scales which consist of semitones and whole tones. Apr 23, 2011 symmetrical scales symmetrical scales are those that have an even number of degrees. This is a list of notable musical works which use the whole tone scale. All of the essential guitar scales are included, such as blues, pentatonic and major shapes. Inspired by the performances of the american dancer loie. The wholetone scale, as the name implies, is made up exclusively from whole tones.

In this lesson, you will learn how to build the whole tone scale and apply it to your jazz guitar playing. Whole tone scale definition of whole tone scale by the free. Pentatonic, chromatic, whole tone, blues and 12 tone series. Nothing like it has ever been developed or advanced as a useable tool to help people and to determine for yourself where some one is, and how they r. In twelve tone equal temperament, there are only two complementary whole tone scales, both sixnote or hexatonic scales. One way is to use it as a 12 whole diminished starting on the 5th of a maj chord. The column on whole and half step construction i have listed for each scale on the syllabus should prove helpful when transposing a scale to any of the twelve keys. There is also a type of scale that has six notes and all of them are a tone apart called a whole tone scale. In music, a wholetone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by. This book has opened up my soloing by giving me the tools to expand on my knowledge of modes and the pentatonic scales. List of pieces which use the whole tone scale wikipedia.

Constructing the scale is rather simplesix whole steps and youre there. Bop pianist thelonious monk often interpolated whole tone scale flourishes into his improvisations and compositions. Most of the ones that youre probably familiar with have seven notes, others have five, some even have twelve. Mel bay in a similar format to his other books, in symmetric solutions. The whole tone scale for guitar jazz guitar online. In a similar format to his other books, in symmetric solutions.

Because of this, theres one place in the scale where youll skip a letter, and. The wholetone scale, consisting entirely of whole tones is in contradistinction to the chromatic scale which consists entirely of half steps or semitones, as well as diatonic scales like the major and minor scales which consist of semitones and whole tones. The whole tone scale produces an unsettling, ambiguous sound. Wholetone scale a scale composed entirely of whole tones, six to the octave. Wholetone scale a sixpitchclass scale made up of successive whole tones, prime form. Needless to say, any scale you want to learn should be transposed and practiced in all twelve keys. The whole tone scale learn how the whole tone scale is built and how to use it. These are the notes that give the whole tone scale its unique, dreamlike sound.

Every note in a whole tone scale is the same distance from its neighbor as the name suggests, the interval between each note is a whole tone, or whole step. Whole tone scale, in music, a scalar arrangement of pitches, each separated from the next by a whole tone step or whole step, in contradistinction to the chromatic scale consisting entirely of half steps, also called semitones and the various diatonic scales, such as the major and minor scales which are different arrangements of whole and. This is further increased by the fact that the only triads that are able to be built from the whole tone scale are augmented triads. Print and learn to play piano scales in major and minor as well as in other interesting modes, in the lessons below. A compilation of scales for trombone twentysix scales in all key signatures. Wholetone scale facts for kids kids encyclopedia facts in music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from the next one by an interval of a whole tone. Talk about an educational, yet super hip sounding scale. The whole tone scale has no leading tone and, due to its symmetrical nature, gives little feeling of tonality or a tonal center. Wholetone scale, in music, a scalar arrangement of pitches, each separated. Two mutually exclusive whole tone scales are formed by choosing alternate notes of the chromatic scale which has 12 notes per octave. This is a resource with free piano lessons and printable scale charts for beginners.

Home symmetric scales whole tone scale csharp whole tone scale. The major scale, harmonic minor scale and melodic minor scale all have seven different notes and an eighth note that repeats the first. And in the book on page 28, on the bottom, you see examples of two whole tone scales written out in scores and in tab which gives you one octave of an e whole tone scale playing. Half tone, whole tone, minor third, and major third are the building blocks of the scales in this book. The whole tone scale is easily recognizable for a few reasons. In a wholetone scale, all notes are separated by 1 whole step tone, and all note has the same importance the same function, so there is no tonic. There are only two whole tone scales with different notes in as each step of the scale is a whole tone. Mozart in the sextet a musical joke 1787, and it is encountered from time to time in romantic music. Buy 20 steps e book four jazz scales you should know major scales. As the name suggests, the whole tone scale is constructed purely from whole steps 2 frets.

Jazz players will find bebop scales, altered scales, whole tone scales, for metal players there are all the modal scales, phrygian dominant scales and minor scales. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Major and minor scales consists of 7 notes, while pentatonic scales are made of 5 notes. Nov 17, 2016 in this short scale tutorial we will be discussing the whole tone scale. C ocarina g ocarina click on the score to view exercises for any scale. A scale that divides the octave into six equaltempered whole tones. Whole tone scale, in music, a scalar arrangement of pitches, each separated from the next by a whole tone step or whole step, in contradistinction to the chromatic scale consisting entirely of half steps, also called semitones and the various diatonic scales, such as the major and minor scales. Because this scale has no half steps, composed can use the wholetone scale to. In music, a wholetone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by the interval of a whole tone. The wholetone scale has no leading tone and because all tones are the same distance apart, no single tone stands out, the scale creates a blurred, indistinct effect. The first interesting thing about symmetrical scales is that there arent 12 of them as there are with the major, minor, blues, etc. David baker vol 1 the bebop scales and other scales in. In this short scale tutorial we will be discussing the whole tone scale. The whole tone scale is an elusive and, for most musicians, problematic series of notes.

This is a socalled symmetrical scale, meaning that the interval is the same throughout the scale. Composing using a wholetone scale my teacher has given us a task of writing a piece of music any instrumentation, any style etc using a wholetone scale. Csharp wholetone scale play piano scales in all keys. Inspired by the performances of the american dancer loie fuller, whose scarf dances were. A quick guide there are lots of different types of scales in music. This is a really good instruction book if you are interested adding more color to your guitar. Aug 17, 2001 there are only two whole tone scales with different notes in as each step of the scale is a whole tone. The 16 most important scales in jazz updated learn. Try playing through the scale, and then playing some of these chords to hearsee how they fit together. Download our free pdf versions of each scale with fingering. The whole tone scale consists of a scale that is built on whole steps between each scale degree. Voiles, the second piece in debussys first book of preludes, is almost entirely within one wholetone scale.

They are often found in classical music from around the mid19th century, modern jazz and also in rock music, such as this example by sting of jimi hendrixs little wing, its the first scale you hear and keep listening. Perhaps the b9 is easier to mentally commute as it is juts up one semitone. Acoustic scale a sevenpitchclass scale that resembles the major scale, but with fa raised to fi and ti lowered to te, in order to match the seventh and eleventh partials of the natural harmonic series. Two mutually exclusive wholetone scales are formed by choosing alternate notes of the chromatic scale which has 12 notes per octave. In this book are 26 scales notated in all 15 key signatures. Whole tone scales are one of the most exotic sounding scales found in western music. Wholetone scale definition of wholetone scale by the free. I understand that its impossible to create a standard major or minor chord, and that theres no distinguishable tonic to return to. If you are interested in purchasing the beato book click here. This whole tone scale has appeared occasionally and sporadically in jazz at least since bix beiderbeckes impressionistic piano piece in a mist. But because any note of the scale can be considered the root, it does create a sound that seems to wander aimlessly. Because of this there are only 2 distinct wholetone scales i. Jan 04, 2018 it is probably one of the most insightful and useful ideas that has come out of the study of scio.

The following public domain patterns for whole tone and diminished scales were gleaned. The pattern for a wholetone scale is easy to remember because it consists only of whole steps w. This scale has many names, including superlocrian, diminished whole tone or even the dimwit scale. So, what this means in practical terms is that the g whole tone scale will work over chords that use those notes as extensions. Every note in a whole tone scale is the same distance from its neighbor as the name suggests, the interval between each note is a whole tone. The classical concerto is a large scale work in three movements for. The whole tone scale is a hexatonic 6 note scale that seems to break the western harmony relationship between tension and resolution. Moyses exercises journaliers chromatic scales play each slowly twice with glorious tone quality. The whole tone scale is a nice tool to get some shifting outside ideas on a minor chord and has been used for this by quite a few people since.

This effect is especially emphasised by the fact that triads built on such scale tones. Wholetone scale article about wholetone scale by the. In music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from the next one by an interval of a whole tone. Scales must be performed over the full range of the instrument. We can call this the ts tone semitone or wh whole half diminished scale. Its used by jazz guitarists to improvise over dominant chords as it produces jazzysounding dissonances tensions. Wholetone scales article about wholetone scales by the. In a whole tone scale, all notes are separated by 1 whole step tone, and all note has the same importance the same function, so there is no tonic. The wholetone scale is an elusive and, for most musicians, problematic series of notes. Thus, the wholetone scale comprises six degrees per octave.

Vibraphonist gary burton likes to remind us that the altered scale has a hidden tone, the natural 5th, that is also consonant with this scale. The whole tone scale is comprised completely of whole steps, like the chromatic. The whole tone workbook author bruce saunders uses exercises, etudes and chord progressions from jazz standards to explore the sound of the whole tone scale, the augmented scale and drop2, drop3. Glinka used the wholetone scale in ruslan and liudmila as the motif identifying chernomor the chernomor scale.

Aug 15, 2001 we can call this the ts tonesemitone or wh wholehalf diminished scale. This means that it also has less notes than most of the other scales you use. The whole tone scale is a coolsounding dominant 7th scale that you can use to add tension to your dominant 7th chords. Using only tones also called whole steps as in a whole tone scale, creates an open sound without the feeling of major or minor, since it. Introduction to the scale syllabus jamey aebersold.

The fractured sound of the whole tone scale seymour duncan. Composing using a whole tone scale my teacher has given us a task of writing a piece of music any instrumentation, any style etc using a whole tone scale. It is perhaps easiest to sing as overlapping 123 patterns, repeating notes to switch patterns. The wholetone scale has no leading tone and because all tones are the same distance apart, no single tone stands out, the scale creates a blurred, indistinct. Discover the fretboard with these pretty looking and sounding. Constructing the scale is rather simplesix wholesteps and youre there. Then go ahead, and go totally wild with debussyesque whole tone scales, and then, almost startrek out on augmented fifth chords and such, before playing through your typical two octave major scales, and then spending a little time on. The scale tones of the major pentatonic scale form a succession of whole tone major 2nd and minor 3rd intervals. The wholetone scale is one of the modes of limited transposition, because there is only transposition of this mode. It will pull your ear away from the maj chord, so you will have to resolve it back until your ear gets use to it. Adding whole tones to your soloing gives you a unique sound that sets you apart from other players. A wholetone scale is a scale made entirely of whole steps and has only six notes. The whole tone workbook author bruce saunders uses exercises, etudes and chord progressions from jazz standards to explore the sound of the wholetone scale, the augmented scale and drop2, d. The theory behind this scale is pretty evident from its name alone.