Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
Ab Yo Scale
Pentatonic scale 1 2 4 5 6 with no half steps and no 3rd. It is called ritusen in Indian music.
Tap any note to hear it.
Ab Yo 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|-----------------4-6-| B|-------------4-6-----| G|-----------6---------| D|---------6-----------| A|-----4-6-------------| E|-4-6-----------------|
e|---------------------6-9-| B|-----------------6-9-----| G|-------------6-8---------| D|---------6-8-------------| A|-----6-8-----------------| E|-6-9---------------------|
e|--------------------------9-11-| B|---------------------9-11------| G|----------------8-10-----------| D|-----------8-11----------------| A|------8-11---------------------| E|-9-11--------------------------|
e|----------------------------11-13-| B|----------------------11-14-------| G|-------------------13-------------| D|-------------11-13----------------| A|-------11-13----------------------| E|-11-13----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------13-16-| B|-------------------------14-16-------| G|-------------------13-15-------------| D|-------------13-15-------------------| A|-------13-16-------------------------| E|-13-16-------------------------------|
How to play Ab Yo on guitar
Find the root first: Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Ab on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (4, 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 4–7. 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 | Ab |
| 2 | Bb |
| 4 | Db |
| 5 | Eb |
| 6 | F |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Ab Yo 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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One purchase
- 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 Ab Yo Scale?
- The Ab Yo Scale has 5 notes: Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, F.
- What is the formula of the yo scale?
- 1 2 4 5 6, which is the step pattern W W+H W W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Ab Yo on the guitar?
- The root Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 4–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.