Scales › iwato (Japanese)

iwato (Japanese) scale

Japanese, the most tense

5 notes

RC b9Db 11F b5Gb b7Bb

guide tones (3rd & 7th — the heart of the sound) avoid (strong clash)

C · Db · F · Gb · Bb

Play in the key of

iwato (Japanese) on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the iwato (Japanese) scale laid out across the whole neck, from fret 0 to fret 15. The guide tones (3rd and 7th) are highlighted — they're what makes the scale's color sing. Use the key selector above to shift the shape along the neck and find the positions in your key.

E 11 b5 b7 R b9 11 b5 B R b9 11 b5 b7 R b9 G b7 R b9 11 b5 b7 D 11 b5 b7 R b9 11 A b7 R b9 11 b5 b7 R E 11 b5 b7 R b9 11 b5 0123456789101112131415

What color?

The most dissonant Japanese pentatonic (R b9 11 b5 b7), the 2nd mode of hirajoshi: dark, tense, almost Locrian. For an anxious, suspended color.

Origin & history

A Japanese pentatonic with half steps, of the "in" scale family. A grave and tense color, associated with the koto repertoire.

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 →