Whole Tone Scale When we start deriving chords from the whole tone scale it is very straightforward. Unlike the Diminished, this synthetic mode only has six notes to complete the octave. The two scales indicated in the first two tables embody the two possible whole tone scales in the twelve tone system, simplifying comprehension. Nevertheless implications remain lush. This scale is the parent scale of all seventh chords which have altered the fifth to either -5 or +5. It also embraces the dominant 9(non-flatted) and provides a wealth of solutions to the problem of substitutions for "hack or cheesy" sounding chords. It is all to easy to look at all these notes on the grid and make one of either two grave errors. One is to simply throw in the towel. Another is the diametric opposite, rigidly imposing the enter patterns under the hands. An alternative is to use fragments of the scale and work them vertically and horizontally on the fingerboard. The other tables will provide a few of the many possibilities that reside. The symmetric nature of the scale lends it to allowing each individual to personally extract patterns conducive ot their individual style. Dexter Gordon s a good example of this approach in his brilliant improvisatory work. This maneuver cycles with whole tone intervals as well as their additive sums like major third, flatted fifth and flatted seventh. If you like skipping around positions, this is a mother lode. Jeff Beck takes advantage of that here and there in his wonderful work. The F whole tone mode has strong dominant characteristics for the tonal centers, C, D, E, .F#, G#, and Bb, but its ambiguities render it very elastic in its application. Once the ear is hypnotized into anticipating a given tonal center, it will make perfect sense. The F# whole tone scale gravitates towards the other six. The third table has a fingering approach that I hope will incite you to delving into the wealth of possibilities resident here. Although it is not a complete expression of the mode it is intriguing. F Whole Tone [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] F * Eb * * F *# B * A C# *# G * F * D G *# C# *# B D# *# A * G * * A * Eb * Db F * B * A * *# B * F * Eb G * C# *# B * *# C# * G * F A * D# *# C# *# *# D# * A * G B * F# Whole Tone [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * Bb *b Ab C * F# * E * *# F# * C * Bb D * G# *# F# * *# G# * D * C E * Bb *b Ab * * Bb * E * D F# * C * Bb *b * C *# F# * E G# *# D * C * A D *# G# *# F# A# *# E * D * * E F WT Pattern [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * *b * * * *# * * * *# *# * * * * * * *# *# *# * *# *# * * * * * 1 * *b * 1 1 * * * 1 * *# 3 * 1 * 3 3 * 1 *# 3 * *# *# * 3 * * * * 3 *# *# *# *# *# * * * * * * 3/1 pattern [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * *b * * * *# * * 1 1 *# * * * * * * *# *# *# 3 3 *# * * * * * * * *b * 1 1 * * * * * *# * * * * 3 3 * *# *# * * *# *# * * * 1 1 * *# *# *# *# *# *# * * * 3 3 * Conventional [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] 1 * 1 * * 1 *# 2 * 2 2 *# 3 * 3 * * 3 *# 4 *# 4 4 *# * * * * * * * *b * * * * * * * * *# * * * * *b * * *# *# * * *# *# * * * * * * *# *# *# *# *# *# * * * * * *