Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
Eb 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.
Eb 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|----------------------------11-13-14-| B|----------------------11-12----------| G|-------------------11----------------| D|----------------13-------------------| A|----------13-14----------------------| E|-11-13-14----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------13-14-| B|----------------------------16-------| G|----------------------15-16----------| D|-------------13-15-16----------------| A|-------13-14-------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------18-| B|-------------------16-18----| G|-------------15-16----------| D|-------15-16----------------| A|----18----------------------| E|-18-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------18-19-| B|-------------------------18-19-------| G|----------------------20-------------| D|----------------20-21----------------| A|-------18-20-21----------------------| E|-18-19-------------------------------|
e|-------------------| B|-------------------| G|-------------20-22-| D|-------20-21-------| A|-20-21-------------| E|-------------------|
How to play Eb Hirajoshi on guitar
Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb 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 11–14. 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 | Eb |
| 2 | F |
| ♭3 | Gb |
| 5 | Bb |
| ♭6 | Cb |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Eb Hirajoshi Scale?
- The Eb Hirajoshi Scale has 5 notes: Eb, F, Gb, Bb, Cb.
- 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 Eb Hirajoshi on the guitar?
- The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.