Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
C Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Iwato 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|--------------------------8-9-| B|-----------------------11-----| G|-----------------10-11--------| D|---------8-10-11--------------| A|-----8-9----------------------| E|-8-9--------------------------|
e|-------------------------13-| B|-------------------11-13----| G|-------------10-11----------| D|-------10-11----------------| A|----13----------------------| E|-13-------------------------|
e|-------------------------13-14-| B|-------------------13-14-------| G|----------------15-------------| D|-------------15----------------| A|-------13-15-------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------|
e|----------------------------18-| B|-------------------------18----| G|----------------15-17-18-------| D|----------15-16----------------| A|----15-16----------------------| E|-18----------------------------|
e|-------------------------18-20-| B|-------------------18-19-------| G|-------------17-18-------------| D|----------20-------------------| A|-------20----------------------| E|-18-20-------------------------|
How to play C Iwato on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (4, ♭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 8–11. 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 | C |
| ♭2 | Db |
| 4 | F |
| ♭5 | Gb |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C Iwato 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Iwato Scale?
- The C Iwato Scale has 5 notes: C, Db, F, Gb, Bb.
- What is the formula of the iwato scale?
- 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H 4 H 4 W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Iwato on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.