STRINGSCALES

G ritusen Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

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

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

B string: C, D, E, G, A at frets 1, 3, 5, 8, 10

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

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G 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:

G

I

A

II

C

IV

D

V

E

VI

Same notes, different mode

G 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.

A minor pentatonicC major pentatonicD egyptianE 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 G: 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 G ritusen on guitar

Open G is the tonic, and low E, A, D and high E all sit in the key, so five strings can ring against a fretted line. A minor pentatonic is the identical fingering. Roots land at 3 on both E strings, 10 on the A, 5 on the D and 8 on the B. No accidentals appear anywhere, which means the first box up to 7 reads exactly as it sits.

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