STRINGSCALES

A ritusen Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, A, B, D, E at frets 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12

A string: A, B, D, E, F#, A at frets 0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12

D string: D, E, F#, A, B, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12

G string: A, B, D, E, F# at frets 2, 4, 7, 9, 11

B string: B, D, E, F#, A, B at frets 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12

High E string: E, F#, A, B, D, E at frets 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12

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A ritusen

The ritusen scale is the Japanese ritsu pentatonic: root, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th. It contains the same pitches as the major pentatonic starting a fourth higher, but centering them here gives an open, suspended sound with no 3rd at all. That neutrality is what makes it feel calm and folk-like, and it doubles as a sus-chord vocabulary in modern playing.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

I

B

II

D

IV

E

V

F♯

VI

Same notes, different mode

A ritusen 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.

B minor pentatonicD major pentatonicE egyptianF# malkos raga

ritusen in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • The ritsu sound is the open 2nd and 6th around the missing 3rd: no major, no minor, just calm; keep harmonies to 4ths and 5ths.
  • It shares its pitches with the major pentatonic a 4th above A: same notes, different home, so borrow every fingering.
  • Over a sus2 or bare-5th drone, every note lands; it is a folk melody generator with no wrong choices.
  • Contrast register: low root-and-5th ostinato, high II-IV-VI melodic cells... the scale's serenity comes from that spacing.

How to play A ritusen on guitar

Open A is the tonic and five of the six strings ring in the key, so a drone under the shape costs nothing. Roots repeat at 5 on both E strings, 7 on the D, 2 on the G and 10 on the B. B minor pentatonic shares this exact box. A single sharp on the page and a shape that reaches to 9, which means the first position covers the whole key before any shift.

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