Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
A In Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6, also known as Miyako-bushi.
Tap any note to hear it.
A In 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|---------------------5-6-| B|-----------------5-6-----| G|---------------7---------| D|-----------7-8-----------| A|-----5-7-8---------------| 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------------------------|
e|-------------------------------12-13-| B|----------------------------15-------| G|----------------------14-15----------| D|-------------12-14-15----------------| A|-------12-13-------------------------| E|-12-13-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------17-| B|-------------------15-17----| G|-------------14-15----------| D|-------14-15----------------| A|----17----------------------| E|-17-------------------------|
How to play A In on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A 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 5–8. 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 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| ♭6 | F |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A In 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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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the A In Scale?
- The A In Scale has 5 notes: A, Bb, D, E, F.
- What is the formula of the in scale?
- 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6, which is the step pattern H 4 W H 4 (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A In on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.