A Ichikosucho Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
A Ichikosucho Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A Ichikosucho scale is an ancient Japanese court music scale used in Gagaku ceremonies. On Guitar, it contains the notes A, B, C#, D, Eb, E, F#, G#. It has a Lydian-like structure and is used to evoke a sense of imperial majesty and historical tradition. Commonly used in Japanese, Classical, Film Scores. Notable players include Takemitsu, Hosokawa. Use over Maj7#11 in Japanese-influenced compositions. Adds cultural authenticity to Eastern-themed scores.
Notes: A, B, C#, D, Eb, E, F#, G#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5d, 5P, 6M, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Formula: W-W-H-H-H-W-W-H
Number of notes: 8
How to Play A Ichikosucho on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 5 on the 6th (low E) to find your A root note. Because this scale has 8 notes, four-notes-per-string stretches may be necessary. Start with a single position and expand gradually. Keep your thumb centered behind the neck for reach.
The A Ichikosucho scale contains both sharps and flats (3 sharps, 1 flat), which is common in altered and exotic scales. This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the A Ichikosucho scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.
Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on A to let the characteristic intervals of the Ichikosucho scale come through clearly.
Guitar Tips
On guitar, practice the A Ichikosucho scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications.
The A Ichikosucho scale contains 8 notes (A, B, C#, D, Eb, E, F#, G#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Ichikosucho
The A Ichikosucho scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 8-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.
Explore A Ichikosucho Further
- Harmonize the A Ichikosucho scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- A Ichikosucho on Ukulele
- A Ichikosucho on Bass
- A Ichikosucho on Piano
Explore A Ichikosucho in Other Tunings
- A Ichikosucho in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Ichikosucho in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- A Ichikosucho in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- A Ichikosucho in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- A Ichikosucho in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- A Ichikosucho in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- A Ichikosucho in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- A Ichikosucho in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- A Ichikosucho in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- A Ichikosucho in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- A Ichikosucho in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- A Ichikosucho in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- A Ichikosucho in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Ichikosucho in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)