Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
E Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
E 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|---------------------0-1-| B|-------------------3-----| G|---------------2-3-------| D|---------0-2-3-----------| A|-----0-1-----------------| E|-0-1---------------------|
e|-----------------5-| B|-------------3-5---| G|---------2-3-------| D|-----2-3-----------| A|---5---------------| E|-5-----------------|
e|-----------------5-6-| B|-------------5-6-----| G|-----------7---------| D|---------7-----------| A|-----5-7-------------| E|-5-6-----------------|
e|----------------------10-| B|-------------------10----| G|------------7-9-10-------| D|--------7-8--------------| A|----7-8------------------| E|-10----------------------|
e|------------------------10-12-| B|------------------10-11-------| G|-------------9-10-------------| D|----------12------------------| A|-------12---------------------| E|-10-12------------------------|
How to play E Iwato on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–3. 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 | E |
| ♭2 | F |
| 4 | A |
| ♭5 | Bb |
| ♭7 | D |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise E 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 E Iwato Scale?
- The E Iwato Scale has 5 notes: E, F, A, Bb, D.
- 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 E Iwato on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–3, and four more positions connect it up the neck.