What type of scale consists of five whole notes and two half notes?

The scale that consists of five whole notes and two half notes is a pentatonic scale. This is because the pentatonic scale typically comprises five distinct pitches within an octave, often arranged in a pattern that includes whole and sometimes half steps, depending on whether it is a major or minor pentatonic scale.

In a major pentatonic scale, for example, the pattern includes specific intervals that create a pleasing, consonant sound, omitting certain notes that would typically create tension in a full diatonic scale. This results in a melodically simpler scale that is common in various musical traditions around the world.

Diatonic, major, and chromatic scales all involve different interval structures or more notes than the pentatonic scale. The diatonic scale contains seven notes, the major scale consists of seven notes in a specific pattern of whole and half steps, and the chromatic scale includes all twelve notes within the octave, using half steps exclusively. Thus, the five-note structure of the pentatonic scale makes it distinctive in its configuration of whole and half steps.