The whole-tone scale · Other scales · Music theory
It divides the octave into six equal whole steps. Because all its distances are equal, no note stands out as a tonic and its sound seems to float: Debussy…
The whole-tone scale
It divides the octave into six equal whole steps. Because all its distances are equal, no note stands out as a tonic and its sound seems to float: Debussy used it often. There are only two different ones, the one starting on C and the one starting on C♯; the others repeat their notes.
With six notes, one letter name has to be skipped: from A♯ you go to C, which sounds a whole step higher although it is written as a diminished 3rd.
Other symmetrical scales
The whole-tone scale is not the only symmetrical one. The octatonic alternates whole and half steps and has only three distinct forms; composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky and Messiaen used it. These scales have no clear center: the ear finds nowhere to rest, which is why they create such a particular color.