Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
C# 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.
C# 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|-------------------------9-11-12-| B|--------------------9-10---------| G|------------------9--------------| D|---------------11----------------| A|---------11-12-------------------| E|-9-11-12-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------11-12-| B|----------------------------14-------| G|----------------------13-14----------| D|-------------11-13-14----------------| A|-------11-12-------------------------| E|-11-12-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------16-| B|-------------------14-16----| G|-------------13-14----------| D|-------13-14----------------| A|----16----------------------| E|-16-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------16-17-| B|-------------------------16-17-------| G|----------------------18-------------| D|----------------18-19----------------| A|-------16-18-19----------------------| E|-16-17-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------21-| B|-------------------------21----| G|----------------18-20-21-------| D|----------18-19----------------| A|----18-19----------------------| E|-21----------------------------|
How to play C# Hirajoshi on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 (♭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 9–12. 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 | D# |
| ♭3 | E |
| 5 | G# |
| ♭6 | A |
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Practise C# Hirajoshi anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Hirajoshi Scale?
- The C# Hirajoshi Scale has 5 notes: C#, D#, E, G#, A.
- 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 C# Hirajoshi on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.