Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
D 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.
D 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|----------------------------10-12-13-| B|----------------------10-11----------| G|-------------------10----------------| D|----------------12-------------------| A|----------12-13----------------------| E|-10-12-13----------------------------|
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-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------17-18-| B|-------------------------17-18-------| G|----------------------19-------------| D|----------------19-20----------------| A|-------17-19-20----------------------| E|-17-18-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------22-| B|-------------------------22----| G|----------------19-21-22-------| D|----------19-20----------------| A|----19-20----------------------| E|-22----------------------------|
How to play D Hirajoshi on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–13. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| ♭3 | F |
| 5 | A |
| ♭6 | Bb |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Hirajoshi 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.
Free
- 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
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the D Hirajoshi Scale?
- The D Hirajoshi Scale has 5 notes: D, E, F, A, Bb.
- 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 D Hirajoshi on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.