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B♭ ichikosucho Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

A string: A, Bb, C, D, Eb, Fb, F, G, A at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12

D string: D, Eb, Fb, F, G, A, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, Fb, F, G at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

B string: C, D, Eb, Fb, F, G, A, Bb at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

High E string: Fb, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

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Bb 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:

B♭

I

C

II

D

III

E♭

IV

F♭

bV

F

V

G

VI

A

VII

Same notes, different mode

Bb 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.

C bebop minorF bebopA bebop locrian

ichikosucho in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Play Bb ichikosucho as a major scale with a built-in blue note: the added flat 5th (E) bridges IV and V chromatically.
  • Use the b5 (E) 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 Bb: the b5 (E) doubles as the sharp 4th leading into the IV chord's major 3rd... wait for that resolution.
  • Contrast it with plain Bb major in the same solo; the single extra note is more striking when it is rationed.

How to play B♭ ichikosucho on guitar

Five open strings are in scale, all but the B, though they land as a diminished fifth, major seventh, major third and major sixth, so none of them pedals. Fret 1 on the A string carries a root and the A-shape barre together. Lowest root is fret 6, low E. Position work off it runs out at fret 10, which puts the B-string root at fret 11 into the next shape.

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