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#, C, D, D#, E, F, G, A. 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#, C, D, D#, E, F, G, A
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 6 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 2 sharps (A#, D#). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the A# Ichikosucho scale ascending and descending at 80 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (A#-D, C-D#) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.
Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on A# to let the characteristic intervals of the Ichikosucho scale come through clearly.
Guitar Tips
Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the A# Ichikosucho scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently.
The A# Ichikosucho scale contains 8 notes (A#, C, D, D#, E, F, G, A). 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)