Scales › kumoi (Japanese)

kumoi (Japanese) scale

Japanese, minor with a singing thirteenth

5 notes

RC 9D b3Eb 5G 13A

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

C · D · Eb · G · A

Play in the key of

kumoi (Japanese) on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the kumoi (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 5 13 R 9 b3 5 B R 9 b3 5 13 R 9 G 5 13 R 9 b3 5 13 D 9 b3 5 13 R 9 b3 A 13 R 9 b3 5 13 R E 5 13 R 9 b3 5 0123456789101112131415

What color?

A Japanese pentatonic (R 9 b3 5 13): minor with a bright major sixth, softer and more nostalgic than hirajoshi. Very singable.

Origin & history

A Japanese pentatonic derived from koto tunings. Its bittersweet color is typical of Japanese chamber music.

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 →