Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
D Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
D 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|-------------------------------10-11-| B|----------------------------13-------| G|----------------------12-13----------| D|-------------10-12-13----------------| A|-------10-11-------------------------| E|-10-11-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------15-| B|-------------------13-15----| G|-------------12-13----------| D|-------12-13----------------| A|----15----------------------| E|-15-------------------------|
e|-------------------------15-16-| B|-------------------15-16-------| G|----------------17-------------| D|-------------17----------------| A|-------15-17-------------------| E|-15-16-------------------------|
e|----------------------------20-| B|-------------------------20----| G|----------------17-19-20-------| D|----------17-18----------------| A|----17-18----------------------| E|-20----------------------------|
e|-------------------------20-22-| B|-------------------20-21-------| G|-------------19-20-------------| D|----------22-------------------| A|-------22----------------------| E|-20-22-------------------------|
How to play D Iwato 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, ♭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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| ♭2 | Eb |
| 4 | G |
| ♭5 | Ab |
| ♭7 | C |
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Practise D 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 D Iwato Scale?
- The D Iwato Scale has 5 notes: D, Eb, G, Ab, C.
- 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 D Iwato 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.