Songs that use the Whole Tone scale

[@DavidBennettPiano]

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[@j.goggels9115]

Voiles, plural, is pronounced as Voilà without the final open [A] sound [ VwAl ] and it means veils or sails.

[@jackscovers4586]

As a huge pink floyd fan with an interest in music theory, that example from "Dogs" really hit the sweet spot.

[@Churro_Flaminguez]

As soon as I saw the video's title, I knew Pink Floyd's _Dogs_ would be in there. It's too classic an example not to include given the topic!

[@KeithCollyer]

Not a whole-tone scale, but Pink Floyd's The Nile Song goes up a whole tone for each verse

[@davidf2281]

The opening four-chord progression of _Dogs_ is one of my favourite-ever things to play. Such a tonally bonkers song that absolutely works.

[@jackscovers4586]

@@davidf2281 I play it on piano. It always sounds amazing.

[@MisterModder123]

​@@Churro_Flaminguez thats funny because i saw david gilmour and was wondering what song it would be...i learned something new today!

[@musicappreciate]

I hadn’t made the connection between dream sequences and whole tones until this video. Thank you! For some reason I also make the connection with Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood. I think the opening piano riff when Rogers walks in the door is where it happens.

[@musicappreciate]

Actually it’s more likely to sound when they go into the neighborhood of make believe

[@royalex21]

Fun fact: Robert Fripp wrote that opening riff of “Fracture” as a challenge for himself, and he openly admitted to it being impossible to play

[@MarceloKatayama]

That's quite funny! But I think Fripp stated that Fracture was impossible because of the moto perpetuo, which starts at about 4 minutes into the song IIRC. This moto perpetuo is also in the whole tone scale, I believe.

[@David-iv6je]

I thought it was the middle portion that was "impossible."

[@HoraceMash]

Interestingly, “Fracture” is also quite difficult to listen to. Well done Mr Fripp! 🎉

[@MarceloKatayama]

@@HoraceMash How so? I find it very enjoyable

[@arpodyssey7913]

Fracture is truly one of the best pieces of all time, in my eyes. Beyond being one of the hardest pieces written for guitar, it’s also just really good. The escalating climax never fails to give me chills

[@aaronclift]

John Coltrane’s version of “Summertime” (on “My Favorite Things”) is full of whole tone harmony and is an excellent example of how to incorporate that sound into a modal composition.

[@Symphonicrockfran]

That's my favorite jazz album

[@lehipster5450]

Mccoy tyner !

[@UkuleleAversion]

Great shout!

[@UkuleleAversion]

@@lehipster5450 Yeah, McCoy goes fucking nuclear on that track.

[@Freakinawesome333]

​@@UkuleleAversionAnd Elvin Jones' solo is amazing

[@ezrac704]

"The battle of who could care less" by Ben Folds Five is a great whole tone scale song. It isn't diatonically in the whole tone scale since every chord is major, but every chord is built on a note within the whole tone scale. It's possibly the best use of the whole tone scale that I've ever heard.

[@mariesyvian8187]

I was gonna mention that. great song.

[@clintonwilcox4690]

Oh, excellent. That's one of my favorite Ben Folds compositions, and I'm actually learning it to play live at some point. That's a good tidbit to know.

[@tswizz4268]

Thank you for this recommendation. I checked that song out and now I'm upset I didn't know about Ben Folds earlier but so glad I know about him now

[@dynaboyjl.4220]

Love that song!

[@ezrac704]

@@tswizz4268 Glad to hear that :) He is certainly underrated and very talented.

[@martifingers]

As illuminating as ever. The ability to draw examples from so many genres is a true education and an intellectual delight. For me one takeaway was that yet again Stevie Wonder lives up to his name by his creativity and uncanny ability to make the musical innovation accessible.

[@radiozelaza]

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic! The bass in verses climbs in whole tones

[@pgrobban]

And it's in lydian

[@althealligator1467]

Yes, but that doesn't really count as the whole tone scale. It's just G lydian, which is just D major. The whole song is diatonic to D major except for that Bb chord at the end of the chorus. You would have to have the augmented fifth, D#, after G, A, B, C#, for it to really count as the whole tone scale.

[@PaulSchwarz]

i feel like lydian is the "almost" version of the whole tone scale. it still has a sense of wonder and space exploration. not quite the same center of gravity as ionian. "what is life" by george harrison or "atlantis" by donovan come to mind. not 100% dreamy, but still pretty ethereal!

[@althealligator1467]

@@PaulSchwarz Yeah lydian is whimsical and wondrous. The E.T. soundtrack is full of lydian and it works... uh, wonders.

[@drossword]

Every mode of the diatonic scale contains four consecutive notes of the whole tone scale. The Lydian is not unique in this respect. It’s just more obvious because they happen to be the first four notes of the scale.

[@musachi5999]

Once I heard the example of Debussy it suddenly hit me that some of Zelda BOTW’s Hyrule field music is based in the whole tone scale. I could be wrong but it really does have a similar feel and sound. I love hearing these examples and recognising the similarities between music I listen to and actually knowing what it is they share in common and that certain scales or keys are the reason why. I really must thank you David 🙏

[@christopherjobin-official7440]

OH MY GOD YOU DID IT! YOU MENTIONED KING CRIMSON! YES!!! FINALLY!!! Seriously, this makes me so happy. This doesn't fix the years of neglect you (and every other music theory youtuber) has shown them, but it's a step in the right direction.

[@mikedonoghues4018]

I think David referenced “Red” in a previous video. But, to be fair, lots of viewers won’t know their work and I think it’s still very problematic to use their tracks here on KZbin. But, you’re right, it’s good to see reference to them given their influence and their use of atypical musical devices.

[@eduardus4e]

@@mikedonoghues4018 Do you know which video?

[@mikedonoghues4018]

@@eduardus4e I’m sorry, I can’t remember. Pretty sure it was one about modes. Not much help, I’m afraid.

[@eduardus4e]

@@mikedonoghues4018 i've watched all the modes ones and I didn't see it :(

[@Iconoplastt]

David, I've been a subscriber for a long time and must say your clear presentation and knowledge is great, have a great day!

[@Althar9809]

At 1:32 when the scale is the fastest, it sounds like Pac Man moving right ? Maybe I’m wrong…

[@usernamenotfound.6993]

Sounds very familiar, could be slightly different though

[@Devils.harp.player]

Such an underrated channel! You deserve more views!

[@richlobato8664]

Kraftwerk's " Spacelab" was the 1st song that i thought of when I heard the scale. Got that LP in 1979 and listened to it a million times. Good memories.

[@jazzbass5883]

In the Light, by Led Zeppelin. Just before Robert Plant sings "and if you feel....", there is a whole-tone walk-up, in thirds, ending on an A and C#. This walk-up occurs ten times between 1:40 and 2:45.

[@stoatystoat174]

Never really thought about the dream/flashback/wholetone scale before but now i would recognize it instantly, good choice of subject :)

[@SuperJorge79]

Also, in addition to the dream sequences, the whole tone scale is often used in movies and TV as an audio cue when a character descends with a submarine into the depths of the ocean

[@chameleon-dream-band-official]

The creepy mid-section of Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Iron Maiden is based around the Whole Tone scale 👍

[@wbertie2604]

I lack the skills to determine if that's also true of the David Bedford version which also has a creepy middle section

[@mattster693]

with augmented chords on bass! i love that part

[@ChrisGarmon]

So happy to see "Dogs" included here! Always loved that part but never knew why it sounded so strange until a few months ago when I first learned about the whole tone scale.

[@augustinberthiaume9977]

In «Histoire sans paroles» from the French Canadian band Harmonium, the whole tone scale is used.

[@Blockoumi]

Harmonium is one of the greatest bands ever but never get mentioned

[@brandonvalentine2555]

This channel seriously helps my ear as a musician. Thank you for what you do

[@mannkejns4355]

The entire outro of the song "The Breakfast Line" by Cardiacs is just the whole tone scale, but it changes keys between the two whole tone scales. It could be thought of as chromatic since it uses all 12 notes, but that's not how it sounds, so it wouldn't really make sense to think of it that way

[@AlyraMoondancer]

The theme song for Astro Boy begins with a whole tone scale as introduction. Great video as always, David!

[@tiltman_420]

I've started my music production journey almost 2 years ago. At nearly 30, and making a career jump from aerospace engineering into music, finally got a position in sound design. I've been using your videos for reference and it's really elevated my musical choices. Thanks David, you a real one.

[@IcaroTurci]

Jorge do Fusa, by Brazilian guitar composer Garoto uses a descendant Whole Tone Scale in a 32nd note (fusa in Portuguese) passage. The style of the piece is choro, a tradicional Brazilian genre.

[@althomas6045]

7:22 reminds me of heart of the sunrise by yes and almost anything by les claypool.

[@lotus8key]

Cardiacs song 'The Obvious Identity' is a great punk song entirely constructed with the whole tone scale!

[@TruToobs]

"Be proud of your kids" by Melody's Echo Chamber. Psychedelic pop/rock context. There's a small bridge section where you hear the whole tone scale.

[@charlespark490]

whole tone is used in the following songs: "in the future" by Sparks "Elektrik", one more red nightmare" and "fracture" by King Crimson "Mrs O'leary's Cow" by Beach Boys "The Barbarian" and "The Three Fates" by Emerson Lake and Palmer "Dogs" by Pink Floyd "Octavarian" Dream theater "Deliverance" Opeth "i am the walrus" beatles (descending whole tone scale) ...and a million other openings to themes and songs opening to "astro boy" theme.

[@obahrey5197]

You have no idea how happy I am to see Robert Fripp get mentioned on this list! Fracture is so difficult to play on the guitar.

[@Bryzerse]

Just based on my memory, I think that one of Holst's planets uses this scale, and perhaps also some of the music from Angry Birds Space. It does fit a very spacey atmosphere!

[@ArbeiterInnenlieder]

It's the planet (1st movement, Mars, Bringer of War) that also was cites heavily in the middle part of Leaving Home Ain't Easy by Queen off the great Jazz album, fittingly wirtten by astrophysicist Brian May.

[@pequalsa]

Back in the late 90s I composed a song with dice for a college math class. I used Whole Tone since having 6 notes it matched 6 sides of standard dice. The professor liked it a bumped me up a letter grade. I later did a follow-up project for a statistics class using Excel, with goal of making a more melodic randomly generated song than the previous "Dice".

[@andrewpappas9311]

I was just learning the solo from Dogs a couple of weeks ago and didn’t realize it was a whole tone scale until now, only Gilmour can come up with something like that and I love it

[@villehytonen7279]

And now I finally know why that part sounds do special.

[@MarceloKatayama]

@@villehytonen7279 Besides the use of the whole tone scale, I think it is very ear catching because the guitar is doubled with another guitar playing on another octave.

[@ldgaming4213]

I think this list would be incomplete without 'the battle of who could care less' by Ben folds five. It's almost completely based upon the scale and has a really unique sound!

[@ric8248]

The Simpsons Theme by Danny Elfman is full of whole tone scales played very fast. Also, Jazz Thieves by Depeche Mode features a xylophone that sounds like it's definitely using the whole tone scale.. I may be wrong but at least it sounds similar.

[@pulykamell]

It's lydian dominant, (raised fourth and flatted seventh). It's a little different as it's got a natural fifth and sixth, and is heptatonic (seven note) as opposed to hexatonic (6-note, like the whole note scale.) The #4 and b7 do get it sounding a bit whole-tone-ish, but it's a little different as there are half-step movements in it (from the #4 to the 5, for example), while the smallest interval in whole tone is a whole step.

[@ric8248]

@@pulykamell nah, you are right but you are refering to the main theme, whereas l was talking particularly about these very rapid scales that appear every so often, and they are in the whole tone scale, check again

[@bymovingimages]

Your ability to explain things has steadily gotten much much better, great work

[@StephenMarkTurner]

The intro to "I Can Help" by Billy Swan uses little aug triads that descend a tone at a time, spelling a whole tone scale.

[@patrick4384]

I'm glad you included Juju, I love that tune! One of my favorites is the Chamber of Sages music from LOZ: Ocarina of Time. There are also countless examples of the scale being used in Frank Zappa's catalogue.

[@ManyNoses]

Also from OOT is the treasure chest open theme, I believe that may also use this scale

[@MARIO-uf1no]

Thanks for the Dogs reference. I love all of David Gilmour's guitar work, but that little solo at the end of the song has always caught my attention. Now I know what he's using to get that ear twisting sound!

[@dampersand]

Before I started watching I picked up my guitar to see what the whole tone scale sounded like and I immediately thought of King Crimson's Fracture. Glad to see that it made an appearance in the video too!

[@MrLuigiFercotti]

Great vid David. It's gold when learning something new and you then get the "oh, that's why that sounds that way."

[@zzzaphod8507]

From piano practice books for kids, there's "Storms on Saturn" (Faber Piano book 2, as I recall) in the whole tone scale. This is a 1-minute piece, not complicated, but does have the whole tone scale in the beginning and videos of people playing it available on KZbin.

[@seldonsinq]

The middle section of Gentle Giant’s The House, The Street, The Room is a chord sequence in the whole tone scale

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Good catch with the Floyd example. Completely forgot about that moment.

[@boomerbear7596]

Nice video! I was so hoping "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" was here as the song was actually playing in my head this morning as I was taking in the summer sun.

[@KlausSgroi]

5:39 This weird chord progression sounds a lot like the short piano section before the "vocal fugue chorus" on Gentle Giant's Knots.

[@yepaxle1111]

One obscure example I have is a song called “Trippolette” by Andi Buch. It’s a hidden song from the 2005 PS2 game Guitar Hero that at certain points, uses the whole note scale.

[@rhtranscriptions9665]

It's probably worth pointing out that at least in a Jazz context, whole-tone chords (as in Juju) and altered chords are very different things. Altered chords would be built from the 7th degree of melodic minor rather than from the whole-tone scale.

[@disonantedsi]

Cardiacs music is a very good example of whole tone melodies

[@Elvar360]

100%, this scale is one of my go tos when i want to sound like them(the other one being: play random chords until something sounds not wrong lol)

[@themar.i.per3374]

i was always fascinated with the whole tone scale. im glad you made a full video about it .

[@adamguitar1498]

You have to do a video on Stevie Wonders "Too High" Right from the very start we have a vamp, then this floaty melody using the chromatic scale. A chorus that utilizes the whole scale for its melody, and a diatonic verse. It has everything!

[@mason87104]

Thanks David! That is the most useful description of the wholetone scale I have seen.

[@hhpoa]

Very interesting and well planned lesson. Congratulations!

[@davegarski1548]

Excellent lesson! I will use this in my guitar lessons. I'm sure it will interest a few of my students.

[@rosalinddavies8466]

Beautiful scale

[@Forevemor32652]

“Our Man Higgins” has a lot of whole tone harmony and melody going on, it switches from being a whole tone Bb blues to being a standard Bb blues, also thanks for the Kraftwerk inclusion, they’re one of my favourite bands of all time!

[@daveandrew589]

I never fail to learn something from these videos. Well done!

[@ACCPhil]

OK, the thing that always gets me is halfway through the 2nd movement of the Berg violin concerto where he quotes from the Bach chorale with the opening notes of the whole-tone scale. Which is also a callback to the original tone row from the start of the piece. You would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by that

[@blackcitadel37]

I remember being used in videogame soundtracks too. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, when you are transforming into one of the temporary stage vehicles (digger, helicopter, car, etc), this scale is used in the first half of the song.

[@jimmrvos2930]

Very interesting David! I really appreciate your discussion of altered chords and why the whole tone scale fits over them. I’ve never really understood either of these concepts and you provided great insight into both. Thanks!

[@laszlototh3348]

Did anyone mention Brian Auger's Total Eclipse from 1971? I really liked Auger and when this track came out I tried to play it on the piano. Then I discovered that both the theme and the guitar solo are based on whole notes. I still love it today. It is no coincidence that this recording is also space music, setting a solar eclipse to music. Check it out, am I not wrong?

[@777heleen]

'Lost in the Misty Woods' by Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest soundtrack) is in the while tone scale. This is the song where I heard this mystical sound for the first time. I discovered the pattern of the notes they used on the piano and was amazed

[@katherineheasley6196]

You played the scale at the beginning, and I was like, "I feel a dream sequence coming on!"

[@cakemartyr5794]

Great stuff. You always give me ideas and inspire me to explore. Good to see both Kraftwerk and King Crimson feature.

[@axolotl8694]

I was watching mid-way through and just thinking, Fracture. then an ad, then Mr Fripp is right in my face. nice. you could have spent much longer on this track, as it's the most extreme use of the whole tone scale possibly ever, even including Debussy. it's relentlessly whole-tone. (not completely... there are non-whole-tone elements in there too.) ehh... they went for it. works for me. nice coverage overall.

[@robster7316]

Wonderful explanation of the whole tome scale and how it is used. Thank you, David!

[@SuperJorge79]

In 1982 Tron's OST, Wendy Carlos uses the whole tone scale a lot. Like in "The light sailer" or "Tron scherzo". It helps bringing up the weirdness of the artificial "inside the computer" world

[@NBrixH]

Gilmour! My man!

[@greatscott175]

Ben Folds Five and Battle of Who Could Care Less. Perfect example of how to make a great pop song with whole tone scale.

[@martialpanyvino]

The Whole Tone Scale contains only major chords with an augmented fifth or with a diminished fifth Therefore, when writing a Dominant Altered Chord (wich is a dominant chord with either a diminished fifth or an augmented fifth), one can play the whole tone scale built upon the root of the chord since it contains both the augmented and diminished fifths Bonus, climbing up or down the whole tone scale and harmonizing it by a third is basically playing the two whole tone scales together (Debussy does it in Voiles, and Stevie Wonder in You are the sunshine of my life)

[@robinleebraun7739]

I see a world where the norm is the whole tone scale and someone figures out the regular major and minor scales and is hailed as a genius for giving music interest and direction.

[@colinburgess7728]

great video as usual, especially your clarification of an alt chord being just the 5th raised or lowered by a semitone.

[@christopherfryda]

I absolutely love this channel!

[@AidanEyewitness]

Another brilliant exposé on something I know - for instance in 'Sunshine of Your Love' - but never really thought about. I think the Debussy piece is pronounced / vwal / (I teach languages!) Many thanks, informative, educational and thought-provoking as ever,

[@GBRen-xc2ow]

An interesting scale related to the whole tone scale is Neapolitan Major. In fact, the scale is basically a whole tone scale sandwiched between the root. The modes you get out of it are all whole tone scales, but with a note in between two tones.

[@johns950]

One thing I like about he whole-tone scale is, you can get it by playing one colour of keys in succession, and then when you get to a 1/2 tone, you swap to the other colour keys. It doesn't matter where you start.

[@vallejodroning9578]

been waiting for this one

[@geoffstockton]

I would argue that if you’re going to call a chord an altered chord, it shouldn’t contain any natural extensions, i.e., it should come from the altered scale, a.k.a. the super Locrian mode. 9b5 or 9#5 are whole-tone-based whereas 13b9 and 13#9 are diminished scale-based. An “altered dominant” as a general chord contains no natural 5ths and no natural upper tensions.

[@joermnyc]

Mark Snow used both Whole Tone scales in some of the background music for episodes of The X-Files.

[@RDRussell2]

This particular scale is so limited in its usage, offering no real flexibility or musical "payoff." And so I didn't think you'd have much to add to the conversation - who would? Still, you've made it clear this scale IS worth some discussion, even if only for those "special effects" kind of moments you find in Impressionism and dream sequences. Excellent work with superb examples from different genres of music.

[@timothybonenfant5448]

Another example of a tune that uses a whole tone scale as part of it is Paula Cole’s “Chiaroscuro” kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXeVoHtoiMSBacU In the bridge of this tune (2:42), Cole sings a descending whole tone scale that lasts through the entire bridge.

[@danielpalmer643]

In the game Final Fantasy VII, Nobuo Uematsu uses it in the Shinra Corporation theme, although he cheats it a little bit. Great video on the whole tone scale!

[@liamgowing6941]

“Live and Let Die.” From around 1:06 to 1:13, Paul McCartney and Wings uses whole tone (thirds) on the stabbing xylophone or marimba part of the orchestral section. Should probably credit George Martin who arranged and produced the song and used whole tone in his Yellow Submarine film score.

In video games there are some examples of music tracks based exclusively on the whole tone scale (DK, Ori, Zelda, and some more). There, harmony works in different an interesting ways. I have a video showing and talking about those examples kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKe6iqN5nNKZbdk (Spanish with English subtitles)

[@martinlemnian2472]

The soundtrack from "Ori and the blind forest" by Gareth Coker has one track named "Lost in the misty woods" that uses the whole tone scale.

[@DBK415]

Final Fantasy 12 has lot of whole tone.

[@TheAngelsHaveThePhoneBox]

The opening to "You Only Live Twice" feels to me like it's in a whole tone scale. Even though it doesn't use all the notes (only 4 in different octaves), I can't seem to find any other scale that would fit it.

[@composer7325]

Excellent video, thank you ,David.

[@gastonpiget1034]

Thanks. Nicely informative.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@scottbrockman5883]

Thank you for this video on KZbin of the "Whole tone scale" and how they are used. The only "whole tone scale" that I remember listening is in the key of E as played as the E Whole tone scale.

[@UkuleleAversion]

7:33 I'm not sure I agree with calling this 5/8. On the one hand, it isn't technically wrong: the riff's eighth notes (2,3,2,2,3,3,3,2) do add up to 20 which gives us a repeating four bar loop of 5/8. However, writing (and feeling) it this ways obscures the distinct phrases the riff contains. That's why I would recommend instead writing it as a bar of 5/8 (2,3), a bar of 7/8 (2,2,3) and a bar of 8/8 (3,3,2). This way, you clearly describe the beginning and end of each phrase while also revealing the simple concept at the centre of the riff: a short aksak phrase, followed by a slightly longer one and yet another longer one before resetting.

[@merschavonia4745]

The part before the outro from Dance of Eternity by Cream Theater uses the whole tone scale

[@benkazel]

Rest in power Wayne Shorter, one of the best to ever do it

[@joernbeineke]

... great vid and great channel ... nice combination of music theory and its practical use ... very similar to the way I integrated theory into my music lessons during my time as a music teacher at a german highschool :)

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😀

[@enriquevazquezsemadeni5712]

The bridge in the Passport tune "Homunculus" also briefly uses it, I think. That's the first tune in which I encountered this scale.

[@michaelfowler3187]

Immediately reminded me of the ascending notes in The Shinra Tower sequence of final fantasy 7- it had a very dreamy and intriguing sound against a descending background pattern- lovely

[@tomas-wi8dy]

thank you!

[@markcbeaumont4670]

There are still keys in WTS. Voiles is in Bb WTS for example

[@MaggaraMarine]

True. And the chromatic scale can also be used in a key. Out of context, it doesn't have a key, though. And it is definitely easier to make it sound tonally ambiguous than the diatonic scale for example (because it's symmetric). But you can definitely use the whole tone scale "tonally". It simply comes down to note repetition, pedal point basslines, and maybe you could also take advantage of the fairly tonal sounding major thirds. Like, you could make it sound kind of Lydian by alternating between 1-3 and 2-#4. Or kind of Mixolydian by alternating between 1-3 and b7-2. It all comes down to emphasis.

[@jaschul]

Jazz since the bebop days has altered chords galore. Usually played with the altered scale.

[@DaveHuxtableLanguages]

Very cool. The dreaminess was instantly recognisable. This scale is very distinctive. I do wish you’d looked up how to pronounce ‘voiles’ on Wikipedia, though. /vwal/ not voylz.

[@MorNaamanGuitarist]

Amazing content thanks ❤

[@Elongatedmusky]

Freddie Hubbards solo on hat and beard by Eric Dolphy uses the whole tone scale eerily well.