About the B Ichikosucho (Japanese) scale
B Ichikosucho (Japanese) is used for traditional Japanese and film music. Think of it as a major scale with an added flat fifth passing tone. It is B Bebop Major with the sixth lowered.
Its notes are B, C♯, D♯, E, F, F♯, G♯, and A♯. The formula is W W H H H W W H. It is the fourth mode of F♯ Bebop Dominant.
An unfretted guitar already sounds E and B from the mode. The 2nd fret of the A string is the lowest B on the neck. A capo at the second fret brings B Ichikosucho (Japanese) within reach of A-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
8-position system
8 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | BB | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | C#C♯ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | D#D♯ | Major 3rd |
| 4 | EE | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | FF | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | F#F♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 7 | G#G♯ | Major 6th |
| 8 | A#A♯ | Major 7th |
| Steps | W W H H H W W H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-2-1-1-1-2-2-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 3 4 ♭5 5 6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Ichikosucho (Japanese) in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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