Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
F# Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
F# 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|---------------------2-3-| B|-------------------5-----| G|---------------4-5-------| D|---------2-4-5-----------| A|-----2-3-----------------| E|-2-3---------------------|
e|-----------------7-| B|-------------5-7---| G|---------4-5-------| D|-----4-5-----------| A|---7---------------| E|-7-----------------|
e|-----------------7-8-| B|-------------7-8-----| G|-----------9---------| D|---------9-----------| A|-----7-9-------------| E|-7-8-----------------|
e|-------------------------12-| B|----------------------12----| G|--------------9-11-12-------| D|---------9-10---------------| A|----9-10--------------------| E|-12-------------------------|
e|-------------------------12-14-| B|-------------------12-13-------| G|-------------11-12-------------| D|----------14-------------------| A|-------14----------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------|
How to play F# Iwato on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–5. 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 | F# |
| ♭2 | G |
| 4 | B |
| ♭5 | C |
| ♭7 | E |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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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- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the F# Iwato Scale?
- The F# Iwato Scale has 5 notes: F#, G, B, C, E.
- 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 F# Iwato on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.