Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
B Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
B 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|------------------------7-8-| B|---------------------10-----| G|----------------9-10--------| D|---------7-9-10-------------| A|-----7-8--------------------| E|-7-8------------------------|
e|-----------------------12-| B|-----------------10-12----| G|------------9-10----------| D|-------9-10---------------| A|----12--------------------| E|-12-----------------------|
e|-------------------------12-13-| B|-------------------12-13-------| G|----------------14-------------| D|-------------14----------------| A|-------12-14-------------------| E|-12-13-------------------------|
e|----------------------------17-| B|-------------------------17----| G|----------------14-16-17-------| D|----------14-15----------------| A|----14-15----------------------| E|-17----------------------------|
e|-------------------------17-19-| B|-------------------17-18-------| G|-------------16-17-------------| D|----------19-------------------| A|-------19----------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------|
How to play B Iwato on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–10. 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 | B |
| ♭2 | C |
| 4 | E |
| ♭5 | F |
| ♭7 | A |
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Practise B 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 B Iwato Scale?
- The B Iwato Scale has 5 notes: B, C, E, F, A.
- 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 B Iwato on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.