Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
F Iwato Scale
Japanese five-note scale 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7, with a half step and a tritone.
Tap any note to hear it.
F 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|---------------------1-2-| B|-------------------4-----| G|---------------3-4-------| D|---------1-3-4-----------| A|-----1-2-----------------| E|-1-2---------------------|
e|-----------------6-| B|-------------4-6---| G|---------3-4-------| D|-----3-4-----------| A|---6---------------| E|-6-----------------|
e|-----------------6-7-| B|-------------6-7-----| G|-----------8---------| D|---------8-----------| A|-----6-8-------------| E|-6-7-----------------|
e|-----------------------11-| B|--------------------11----| G|------------8-10-11-------| D|--------8-9---------------| A|----8-9-------------------| E|-11-----------------------|
e|-------------------------11-13-| B|-------------------11-12-------| G|-------------10-11-------------| D|----------13-------------------| A|-------13----------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------|
How to play F Iwato on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F 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 1–4. 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 | F |
| ♭2 | Gb |
| 4 | Bb |
| ♭5 | Cb |
| ♭7 | Eb |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F 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 F Iwato Scale?
- The F Iwato Scale has 5 notes: F, Gb, Bb, Cb, Eb.
- 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 F Iwato on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.