Scales › in sen (Japanese)

in sen (Japanese) scale

Japanese "in", austere b9

What color?

A Japanese "in" pentatonic (R b9 11 5 b7): the low b9 against the root gives an austere, Eastern color, the dark side of the traditional Japanese sound.

Origin & history

The "in" scale (miyako-bushi), a pentatonic with half steps that carries a large part of traditional Japanese melody, melancholy and refined.

Listen

• "Sakura Sakura" — traditional Japanese song

Which chords to play it on?

Outside the functional consensus: this is an exploration color. Lay it over a vamp or a held chord to tint your improvisation with an unexpected flavor, rather than inside a cadence.

Try it in a real chart

Paste a chord chart into the tool: Pentania tells you, chord by chord, when this scale fits — and what other colors are open to you. Open the tool →