Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
Bb Hirajoshi Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 (the common form; sources define it in different ways).
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Hirajoshi 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|-------------------6-8-9-| B|---------------6-7-------| G|-------------6-----------| D|-----------8-------------| A|-------8-9---------------| E|-6-8-9-------------------|
e|--------------------------8-9-| B|-----------------------11-----| G|-----------------10-11--------| D|---------8-10-11--------------| A|-----8-9----------------------| E|-8-9--------------------------|
e|-------------------------13-| B|-------------------11-13----| G|-------------10-11----------| D|-------10-11----------------| A|----13----------------------| E|-13-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------13-14-| B|-------------------------13-14-------| G|----------------------15-------------| D|----------------15-16----------------| A|-------13-15-16----------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------18-| B|-------------------------18----| G|----------------15-17-18-------| D|----------15-16----------------| A|----15-16----------------------| E|-18----------------------------|
How to play Bb Hirajoshi on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 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 6–9. 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 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| ♭3 | Db |
| 5 | F |
| ♭6 | Gb |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Hirajoshi Scale?
- The Bb Hirajoshi Scale has 5 notes: Bb, C, Db, F, Gb.
- What is the formula of the hirajoshi scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6, which is the step pattern W H 4 H 4 (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Hirajoshi on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.