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Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues

E In Sen Scale

Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7. It holds a 7sus4 chord.

Notes EFABD
Formula 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7
Steps H 4 W W+H W
Mood Dark, Spare, Mysterious
Heard in Japanese Traditional Music, Modern Rock

Interactive scale diagram

E In Sen Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

E In Sen Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 0–3
e|---------------------0-1-|
B|-----------------0-3-----|
G|---------------2---------|
D|---------0-2-3-----------|
A|-----0-2-----------------|
E|-0-1---------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 2–5
e|-------------------5-|
B|---------------3-5---|
G|-----------2-4-------|
D|-------2-3-----------|
A|---2-5---------------|
E|-5-------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 4–7
e|-------------------5-7-|
B|---------------5-6-----|
G|-----------4-7---------|
D|---------7-------------|
A|-----5-7---------------|
E|-5-7-------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 7–10
e|------------------------7-10-|
B|---------------------10------|
G|--------------7-9-10---------|
D|----------7-9----------------|
A|------7-8--------------------|
E|-7-10------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 9–12
e|--------------------------10-12-|
B|--------------------10-12-------|
G|---------------9-10-------------|
D|----------9-12------------------|
A|-------12-----------------------|
E|-10-12--------------------------|

How to play E In Sen on guitar

Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (4, 5, ♭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 0–3. 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

DegreeNote
1 E
♭2 F
4 A
5 B
♭7 D

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Questions

What notes are in the E In Sen Scale?
The E In Sen Scale has 5 notes: E, F, A, B, D.
What is the formula of the in sen scale?
1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H 4 W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play E In Sen on the guitar?
The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–3, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

In Sen Scale in every key

More scales in E