Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
B Hirajoshi Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 (the common form; sources define it in different ways).
Tap any note to hear it.
B Hirajoshi 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|---------------------7-9-10-| B|-----------------7-8--------| G|---------------7------------| D|-------------9--------------| A|--------9-10----------------| E|-7-9-10---------------------|
e|----------------------------9-10-| B|-------------------------12------| G|-------------------11-12---------| D|-----------9-11-12---------------| A|------9-10-----------------------| E|-9-10----------------------------|
e|-------------------------14-| B|-------------------12-14----| G|-------------11-12----------| D|-------11-12----------------| A|----14----------------------| E|-14-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------14-15-| B|-------------------------14-15-------| G|----------------------16-------------| D|----------------16-17----------------| A|-------14-16-17----------------------| E|-14-15-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------19-| B|-------------------------19----| G|----------------16-18-19-------| D|----------16-17----------------| A|----16-17----------------------| E|-19----------------------------|
How to play B Hirajoshi on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 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 7–10. 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 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| ♭3 | D |
| 5 | F# |
| ♭6 | G |
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Hirajoshi Scale?
- The B Hirajoshi Scale has 5 notes: B, C#, D, F#, G.
- What is the formula of the hirajoshi scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6, which is the step pattern W H 4 H 4 (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Hirajoshi on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.