B whole tone
6-note whole tone scale on B — B, C♯, D♯, F, G, A.
Press to hear the scale played ascending.
Six notes, every step a whole tone — perfectly symmetric, so it has no leading tone and no home. Dreamlike and unmoored, a favourite of Debussy.
The notes
Each degree links to its pitch page. Note names use sharp spelling throughout — every accidental is written as a sharp (C♯, not D♭), the same convention as the note pages.
Degrees & steps
| Degree | Note | Semitones from root | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | 0 | whole |
| 2 | C♯ | 2 | whole |
| 3 | D♯ | 4 | whole |
| ♭5 | F | 6 | whole |
| ♯5 | G | 8 | whole |
| ♭7 | A | 10 | whole |
The step formula is 2–2–2–2–2–2 semitones — 6 steps that sum to a full octave (12 semitones) and return to B.