Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
A Yo Scale
Pentatonic scale 1 2 4 5 6 with no half steps and no 3rd. It is called ritusen in Indian music.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Yo Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------5-7-| B|-------------5-7-----| G|-----------7---------| D|---------7-----------| A|-----5-7-------------| E|-5-7-----------------|
e|-----------------------7-10-| B|------------------7-10------| G|--------------7-9-----------| D|----------7-9---------------| A|------7-9-------------------| E|-7-10-----------------------|
e|----------------------------10-12-| B|----------------------10-12-------| G|-----------------9-11-------------| D|------------9-12------------------| A|-------9-12-----------------------| E|-10-12----------------------------|
e|----------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------12-15-------| G|-------------------14-------------| D|-------------12-14----------------| A|-------12-14----------------------| E|-12-14----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------14-17-| B|-------------------------15-17-------| G|-------------------14-16-------------| D|-------------14-16-------------------| A|-------14-17-------------------------| E|-14-17-------------------------------|
How to play A Yo 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), 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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| 6 | F# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Yo anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the A Yo Scale?
- The A Yo Scale has 5 notes: A, B, D, E, F#.
- What is the formula of the yo scale?
- 1 2 4 5 6, which is the step pattern W W+H W W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Yo 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.