STRINGSCALES

A♭ ichikosucho Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Ebb, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11

A string: Bb, C, Db, Ebb, Eb, F, G, Ab at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

D string: Ebb, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Ebb at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

G string: G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Ebb, Eb, F, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12

B string: C, Db, Ebb, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11

High E string: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Ebb, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11

Pick a root note

Pick a scale

Ab ichikosucho

The ichikosucho scale is a major scale with an added flat 5th, eight notes catalogued from Japanese sources. The extra note bridges the 4th and 5th chromatically, letting otherwise plain major lines pivot briefly through a blues-tinged shadow. It behaves like a major scale with a built-in passing tone rather than an exotic mode.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A♭

I

B♭

II

C

III

D♭

IV

E𝄫

bV

E♭

V

F

VI

G

VII

Same notes, different mode

Ab ichikosucho uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

Bb bebop minorEb bebopG bebop locrian

ichikosucho in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Play Ab ichikosucho as a major scale with a built-in blue note: the added flat 5th (D) bridges IV and V chromatically.
  • Use the b5 (D) in passing on upbeats, exactly like the blues scale treats it, while everything else stays diatonic major.
  • Try it over a I-IV change in Ab: the b5 (D) doubles as the sharp 4th leading into the IV chord's major 3rd... wait for that resolution.
  • Contrast it with plain Ab major in the same solo; the single extra note is more striking when it is rationed.

How to play A♭ ichikosucho on guitar

Open D and open G are the only in-scale open strings, a diminished fifth and a major seventh, so neither works as a pedal underneath. Lowest root is fret 4, low E, with the handover at fret 8. Capo at fret 1 puts this in G ichikosucho fingering, which lets one set of shapes cover both. Nearest root to the nut: G string, fret 1.

homeall scalesaboutfaqpricingmicrotonalterms & conditionsprivacy policycookie policy© 2026 StringScales. All rights reserved.