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Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues

D In Sen Scale

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

Notes DEbGAC
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

D 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.

D 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 10–13
e|-------------------------------10-11-|
B|-------------------------10-13-------|
G|----------------------12-------------|
D|-------------10-12-13----------------|
A|-------10-12-------------------------|
E|-10-11-------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 12–15
e|----------------------------15-|
B|----------------------13-15----|
G|----------------12-14----------|
D|----------12-13----------------|
A|----12-15----------------------|
E|-15----------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 14–17
e|----------------------------15-17-|
B|----------------------15-16-------|
G|----------------14-17-------------|
D|-------------17-------------------|
A|-------15-17----------------------|
E|-15-17----------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 17–20
e|-------------------------------17-20-|
B|----------------------------20-------|
G|-------------------17-19-20----------|
D|-------------17-19-------------------|
A|-------17-18-------------------------|
E|-17-20-------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 19–22
e|----------------------------20-22-|
B|----------------------20-22-------|
G|----------------19-20-------------|
D|----------19-22-------------------|
A|-------22-------------------------|
E|-20-22----------------------------|

How to play D In Sen on guitar

Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–13. 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 D
♭2 Eb
4 G
5 A
♭7 C

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Questions

What notes are in the D In Sen Scale?
The D In Sen Scale has 5 notes: D, Eb, G, A, C.
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 D In Sen on the guitar?
The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

In Sen Scale in every key

More scales in D