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Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues

A In Sen Scale

Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7. It holds a 7sus4 chord.

Notes ABbDEG
Formula 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7
Steps H 4 W W+H W
Mood Dark, Spare, Mysterious
Heard in Japanese Traditional Music, Modern Rock

Interactive scale diagram

A In Sen Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

A In Sen Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 5–8
e|---------------------5-6-|
B|-----------------5-8-----|
G|---------------7---------|
D|---------5-7-8-----------|
A|-----5-7-----------------|
E|-5-6---------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 7–10
e|----------------------10-|
B|-----------------8-10----|
G|-------------7-9---------|
D|---------7-8-------------|
A|----7-10-----------------|
E|-10----------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 9–12
e|---------------------------10-12-|
B|---------------------10-11-------|
G|----------------9-12-------------|
D|-------------12------------------|
A|-------10-12---------------------|
E|-10-12---------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 12–15
e|-------------------------------12-15-|
B|----------------------------15-------|
G|-------------------12-14-15----------|
D|-------------12-14-------------------|
A|-------12-13-------------------------|
E|-12-15-------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 14–17
e|----------------------------15-17-|
B|----------------------15-17-------|
G|----------------14-15-------------|
D|----------14-17-------------------|
A|-------17-------------------------|
E|-15-17----------------------------|

How to play A In Sen on guitar

Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (4, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–8. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 A
♭2 Bb
4 D
5 E
♭7 G

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Practise A In Sen anywhere, even offline.

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Questions

What notes are in the A In Sen Scale?
The A In Sen Scale has 5 notes: A, Bb, D, E, G.
What is the formula of the in sen scale?
1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H 4 W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play A In Sen on the guitar?
The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

In Sen Scale in every key

More scales in A