Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
Bb Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb 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|---------------------6-7-| B|-------------------9-----| G|---------------8-9-------| D|---------6-8-9-----------| A|-----6-7-----------------| E|-6-7---------------------|
e|--------------------11-| B|---------------9-11----| G|-----------8-9---------| D|-------8-9-------------| A|----11-----------------| E|-11--------------------|
e|-------------------------11-12-| B|-------------------11-12-------| G|----------------13-------------| D|-------------13----------------| A|-------11-13-------------------| E|-11-12-------------------------|
e|----------------------------16-| B|-------------------------16----| G|----------------13-15-16-------| D|----------13-14----------------| A|----13-14----------------------| E|-16----------------------------|
e|-------------------------16-18-| B|-------------------16-17-------| G|-------------15-16-------------| D|----------18-------------------| A|-------18----------------------| E|-16-18-------------------------|
How to play Bb Iwato 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 (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 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 | Cb |
| 4 | Eb |
| ♭5 | Fb |
| ♭7 | Ab |
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Practise Bb 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 Bb Iwato Scale?
- The Bb Iwato Scale has 5 notes: Bb, Cb, Eb, Fb, Ab.
- 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 Bb Iwato 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.