A Ichikosucho Piano Scale
Piano scale diagram
A Ichikosucho Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A Ichikosucho scale is an ancient Japanese court music scale used in Gagaku ceremonies. On Piano, 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 Piano
On piano, the A Ichikosucho scale uses 4 black keys. With several black keys involved, let the thumb naturally fall on white keys where possible. Practice hands separately at first, paying attention to smooth thumb-under transitions.
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
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-C#, B-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.
Piano Tips
On piano, practice the A Ichikosucho scale hands together in contrary motion (one hand ascending, the other descending). This builds independence and strengthens your awareness of the scale's symmetry.
The A Ichikosucho scale contains 8 notes (A, B, C#, D, Eb, E, F#, G#). Use the interactive piano diagram above to explore this scale on Piano.