STRINGSCALES

E hirajoshi Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, G, B, C, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

A string: B, C, E, F#, G at frets 2, 3, 7, 9, 10

D string: E, F#, G, B, C at frets 2, 4, 5, 9, 10

G string: G, B, C, E, F#, G at frets 0, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12

B string: B, C, E, F#, G, B at frets 0, 1, 5, 7, 8, 12

High E string: E, F#, G, B, C, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

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E hirajoshi

The hirajoshi scale is the best known Japanese pentatonic: root, 2nd, flat 3rd, 5th, flat 6th. Each half step resolves downward (b3 to 2, b6 to 5), which creates its elegant, melancholy motion. It has long since escaped traditional koto music: metal and fusion players from Marty Friedman onward mine it for exotic riffs that still sit over a plain minor chord.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

E

I

F♯

II

G

bIII

B

V

C

bVI

Same notes, different mode

E hirajoshi 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.

F# iwatoB kumoijoshiC lydian pentatonic

hirajoshi in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Practice the two half-step resolutions (b3 (G) to II, b6 (C) to V); descending through them is the scale's whole elegance.
  • Metal borrows it constantly: riff root, II, b3 (G) low on the neck in E, then answer with V and b6 (C) an octave up.
  • Map it inside your minor pentatonic box: same root and 5th, with II and b6 (C) replacing IV and b7 (D).
  • Let phrases end on II rather than the root occasionally; traditional koto lines often rest away from home.

How to play E hirajoshi on guitar

Both E strings are roots when open, with the G string a minor third above and the B string a perfect fifth, so four strings are in key before the hand touches anything. Lowest root sits at fret 0. First box ends at 4, which means the A string root at 7 asks for a position change. Same fingering as B kumoijoshi, seven semitones up.

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