Scales
C Whole Tone Pentatonic Scale
C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb
C Whole Tone Pentatonic is a scale built on C with the notes C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb.
C Whole Tone Pentatonic Scale
C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb
Fingering on the piano
| Hand | Fingering | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 2 3 1 2 3 | C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb · C | |
| Left hand | 4 3 2 1 2 1 | C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb · C |
One octave ascending; 1 is the thumb. A standard fingering, not the only one.
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Scale degrees
C Whole Tone Pentatonic is made of the notes C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb. Each is a degree counted from the tonic, and the gaps between them are the step pattern 2 W W W W.
Read on: scale degrees · building any scale · pentatonic and blues scales
Related scales
C Whole Tone Pentatonic is a selection of notes from larger scales rather than a seven-note scale of its own, so it has no chords of its own: it takes them from the scales that contain it, listed here with the scales it contains and its related keys.
Scales that contain it
C Mystery #1C · Db · E · Gb · Ab · Bb
Contains every note of C Whole Tone Pentatonic.
C Whole ToneC · D · E · F# · G# · A#
Contains every note of C Whole Tone Pentatonic.
C Locrian MajorC · D · E · F · Gb · Ab · Bb
Contains every note of C Whole Tone Pentatonic.
C AlteredC · Db · D# · E · F# · Ab · Bb
Contains every note of C Whole Tone Pentatonic.
C Leading Whole ToneC · D · E · F# · G# · Bb · B
Contains every note of C Whole Tone Pentatonic.
C Lydian MinorC · D · E · F# · G · Ab · Bb
Contains every note of C Whole Tone Pentatonic.
Common questions
- How do I play C Whole Tone Pentatonic?
- On guitar start with the 1st position, played from the lowest string upward; the instrument panel on this page shows its frets and the positions further up the neck. On the piano the right hand ascends 1 2 3 1 2 3, with 1 as the thumb. Every position plays when you press it.
- What notes are in C Whole Tone Pentatonic?
- C Whole Tone Pentatonic contains the notes C · E · Gb · Ab · Bb, measured from the tonic C as the intervals 1P, 3M, 5d, 6m, 7m. Play them in order for the scale: every note on this page sounds when you tap it, and the step pattern under the degrees shows the distance from each note to the next.
- What is the formula of C Whole Tone Pentatonic?
- From C the steps run 2 W W W W, where a whole step is two frets or two keys and a half step one. Apply the same pattern from any other note and you get the same scale on that root, which is why every root of this scale has a page here.