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Messiaen Mode 1: The Whole Tone Scale

Olivier Messiaen's Seven Modes of Limited Transposition · Scale 1 of 7

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No 1 Messiaen Mode 1: The Whole Tone Scale

Mode label: M1 1 - 2 - 3 - #4 - #5 - b7

C Whole Tone (Messiaen M1) scale, full-neck fretboard diagram, Fretly rendering

Structure: W - W - W - W - W - W

Transpositions: 2

Modes

A mode is this same set of notes heard from a different starting note. Pick one to see it on the circle.

This scale has very limited transposition symmetry: every rotation produces an identical pitch-class set to the scale itself, so it has no distinct modes to list.

Explore the C Whole Tone (Messiaen M1) scale in Fretly

Backing tracks

Jam this scale over these. They open on the track page.

C Whole Tone (Messiaen M1) scale circle diagram, Fretly rendering

Triads

C+C, E, G# D+D, F#, A# E+E, G#, C F#+F#, A#, D G#+G#, C, E Bb+Bb, D, F#

Seventh chords

C7#5C, E, G#, Bb C7b5C, E, Gb, Bb D7#5D, F#, A#, C D7b5D, F#, Ab, C E7#5E, G#, C, D E7b5E, G#, Bb, D F#7#5F#, A#, D, E F#7b5F#, A#, C, E G#7#5G#, C, E, F# G#7b5G#, C, D, F# Bb7#5Bb, D, F#, Ab Bb7b5Bb, D, E, Ab

This scale holds many more chords than these, with extensions, inversions and every voicing on the neck. Find them all in Fretly

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