D whole tone
6-note whole tone scale on D — D, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, C.
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 | D | 0 | whole |
| 2 | E | 2 | whole |
| 3 | F♯ | 4 | whole |
| ♭5 | G♯ | 6 | whole |
| ♯5 | A♯ | 8 | whole |
| ♭7 | C | 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 D.