GCEA123456789101112123#4#5#63#4#5#6123#5#6123#4#523#4#5#61
Fig. 1 · G# whole tone · first 12 frets

ukulele scale

G♯ whole tone

G♯1A♯2B♯3C𝄪♯4D𝄪♯5E𝄪♯6

Six notes, every step a whole one. There are only two of these scales in all, and every note can be heard as the tonic.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♭ whole tone.

on guitaron piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · G# whole tone, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

G♯WA♯WB♯WC𝄪WD𝄪WE𝄪WG♯

What is true of it

G♯ whole tone is G♯, A♯, B♯, C𝄪, D𝄪 and E𝄪, and back to G♯.

Its steps are W – W – W – W – W – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 9 alterations, C𝄪, D𝄪 and E𝄪 among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

Across the first twelve frets of the ukulele its notes fall in 26 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

G♯augaugmentedA♯augaugmented

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 6 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on G♯

G♯ diminished (whole–half)symmetricG♯ diminished (half–whole)symmetricG♯ majormajorG♯ natural minorminorG♯ harmonic minorminor

C w.t.C♯ w.t.D♭ w.t.D w.t.D♯ w.t.E♭ w.t.E w.t.F w.t.all 374