C Ritusen Guitar Scale — Drop B

Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram

C Ritusen in Drop B — Notes and Intervals

The C Ritusen scale is a traditional Japanese pentatonic scale known for its balanced and tranquil nature. On Guitar, the notes are C, D, F, G, A. 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: C, D, F, G, A

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

Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5

Formula: W-WH-W-W-WH

Number of notes: 5

Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)

About Drop B Tuning

Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.

Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.

DeathcoreDjentProgressive MetalExtreme MetalMetalcore

Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure

Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning

Explore This Scale in Other Tunings

← All Guitar scales in Drop B tuning