A Ritusen Guitar Scale

A Ritusen Scale — Notes and Intervals

The A Ritusen scale is a traditional Japanese pentatonic scale known for its balanced and tranquil nature. On Guitar, the notes are A, B, D, E, F#. It has a suspended quality that sounds very peaceful and is a core part of ancient East Asian court music and contemplative melodies. Commonly used in Japanese, World, Ambient, Film Scores. Notable players include Kitaro, Ryuichi Sakamoto. Use over sus2, sus4, and open chords. Its omission of the 3rd creates an ambiguous major/minor quality.

Notes: A, B, D, E, F#

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 4P, 5P, 6M

Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5

Formula: W-WH-W-W-WH

Number of notes: 5

Musical Character

A perfectly balanced pentatonic with a suspended quality — sounds peaceful and folk-like. Its simplicity makes it accessible while its exotic intervals set it apart from Western pentatonics.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Japanese, World, Ambient, Film Scores

Notable players: Kitaro, Ryuichi Sakamoto

How to Use the A Ritusen Scale

Use over sus2, sus4, and open chords. Its omission of the 3rd creates an ambiguous major/minor quality.

Origin & Background

A traditional Japanese scale used in ancient East Asian court music. Related to the Yo scale of the Japanese modal system.

How to Play A Ritusen on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 5 on the 6th (low E) to find your A root note. With only 5 notes, this scale fits comfortably in a two-notes-per-string pattern across all six strings. Focus on learning a single box shape first before connecting positions.

The A Ritusen scale contains 1 sharp (F#). 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 60 BPM and play the A Ritusen 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.

This scale works well over simple power chord progressions or a 12-bar blues in A. Try a A5 - E5 - F#5 progression. This scale is especially effective in film scores contexts.

Guitar Tips

On guitar, practice the A Ritusen 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. Aim for a balanced quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

• A Major pentatonic
• A Egyptian
• A Hirajoshi

The A Ritusen scale contains 5 notes (A, B, D, E, F#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.

CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Ritusen

The A Ritusen 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 5-note pentatonic scale, 2-notes-per-string patterns are the most ergonomic way to traverse the fretboard. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.

Explore A Ritusen Further

• Harmonize the A Ritusen scale — triads & 7th chords
• Browse chord progressions
• A Ritusen on Ukulele
• A Ritusen on Bass
• A Ritusen on Piano

Explore A Ritusen in Other Tunings

• A Ritusen in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
• A Ritusen in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
• A Ritusen in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
• A Ritusen in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
• A Ritusen in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
• A Ritusen in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
• A Ritusen in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
• A Ritusen in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
• A Ritusen in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
• A Ritusen in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
• A Ritusen in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
• A Ritusen in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
• A Ritusen in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
• A Ritusen in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)

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