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D ritusen Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, G, A, B, D, E at frets 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12

A string: A, B, D, E, G, A at frets 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12

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

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

B string: B, D, E, G, A, B at frets 0, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

High E string: E, G, A, B, D, E at frets 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12

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D 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:

D

I

E

II

G

IV

A

V

B

VI

Same notes, different mode

D 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.

E minor pentatonicG major pentatonicA egyptianB 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 D: 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 D ritusen on guitar

Every open string on the guitar belongs to this key, so strumming across all six gives a usable drone bed under any shape. Open D is the tonic itself. Roots also land at 10 on both E strings, 5 on the A and 7 on the G. Same box as E minor pentatonic, tonic a whole step above, which means the most familiar shape on the instrument already spells this key.

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