Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
C 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.
C 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|------------------------8-10-11-| B|--------------------8-9---------| G|------------------8-------------| D|---------------10---------------| A|---------10-11------------------| E|-8-10-11------------------------|
e|-------------------------------10-11-| B|----------------------------13-------| G|----------------------12-13----------| D|-------------10-12-13----------------| A|-------10-11-------------------------| E|-10-11-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------15-| B|-------------------13-15----| G|-------------12-13----------| D|-------12-13----------------| A|----15----------------------| E|-15-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------15-16-| B|-------------------------15-16-------| G|----------------------17-------------| D|----------------17-18----------------| A|-------15-17-18----------------------| E|-15-16-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------20-| B|-------------------------20----| G|----------------17-19-20-------| D|----------17-18----------------| A|----17-18----------------------| E|-20----------------------------|
How to play C Hirajoshi on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–11. 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 | C |
| 2 | D |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| 5 | G |
| ♭6 | Ab |
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Practise C Hirajoshi anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Hirajoshi Scale?
- The C Hirajoshi Scale has 5 notes: C, D, Eb, G, Ab.
- 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 C Hirajoshi on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.