Whole-Tone Scale Fingerings
Many guitarists know how to play a whole-tone scale, but not many use it. I've got some ideas for how to use this scale in upcoming posts, but here we'll cover some different ways to get it under your fingers.
Here's the classic three-notes-per-string version:
T---------------------------------------------------12--14--16--------------------------------- |----------------------------------------9--11--13--------------------------------------------- A------------------------------7--9--11-------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------6--8--10------------------------------------------------------------------ B-----------5--7--9---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--4--6--8-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is great if you're an economy-picking fiend because you can rip up and down this shape pretty quickly using down-up-down on each string when ascening and then up-down-up when descending. The problem with it, though, is that it covers a huge range of the fretboard -- fully 12 frets -- which makes it a bit limiting. Plus, although it's efficient for picking it can be quite inefficient to have to move your hand that far up the neck. It all depends on where you want to end up.
Here's a two-notes-per-string version that's also well-known. It, too, changes position, albeit not as dramatically and in the opposite direction:
T---------------------------------4--6--------------------------------------------------------- |---------------------------5--7--------------------------------------------------------------- A---------------------5--7--------------------------------------------------------------------- |---------------6--8--------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---------7--9--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--8--10---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like the previous fingering, it's good to have this one in your arsenal but it has some issues. Alternate-pickers may like it, but the two-notes-per-string layout forces the pick to move further when crossing strings and that can slow you down. What's more, it still changes position quite radically.
By combining two- and three-note patterns we can at least create a version of the scale that doesn't force your fretting hand to move too much. There are two obvious patterns like this -- this one:
T--------------------------------------4--6--8------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------5--7---------------------------------------------------------- A--------------------------5--7---------------------------------------------------------------- |-----------------4--6--8---------------------------------------------------------------------- B-----------5--7------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--4--6--8-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and this one:
T--------------------------------------5--7---------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------6--8---------------------------------------------------------- A-----------------------4--6--8---------------------------------------------------------------- |-----------------5--7------------------------------------------------------------------------- B--------4--6--8------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--5--7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They're similar but, of course, different because of that quirk in guitar tuning between the G and B strings.
We can do a few other things with combinations of two and three notes on each string. Here's a pattern that changes position slightly in the middle but returns to where it started:
T--------------------------------------4--6--8------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------5--7---------------------------------------------------------- A--------------------------5--7---------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------6--8---------------------------------------------------------------------- B-----------5--7--9---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--4--6--8-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and here's another that goes the other way, shifting towards the headstock and then returning. Notice the use of just one note on the B string this time:
T-------------------------------------5--7----------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------6--8---------------------------------------------------------- A-----------------------4--6--8---------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------3--5--7------------------------------------------------------------------------- B--------4--6---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--5--7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're interested in studying the whole-tone scale, start by learning and playing around with these different fingerings. Remember that, because of the intervallic structure of this scale, you can move any fingering up or down two frets and still be playing the right scale.
Next time we'll look at some runs and patterns using this scale before we start working on applications.
