G Japanese Scale, Step by Step

Open G string, then A, C, D and Eb: the G Japanese scale needs only five notes. The half step from D to Eb supplies the Eastern colour.

Another root waits on the 3rd fret of the low E string. All the notes come from G natural minor, so the scale can be heard as a stripped-down minor sound. Try it over a G drone.

Play the G japanese scale

Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.

Notes of the G japanese scale

Note	Degree	Interval	Semitones from root
G	1	Root	0
A	2	Major 2nd	2
C	4	Perfect 4th	5
D	5	Perfect 5th	7
Eb	b6	Minor 6th	8

Structure

G japanese scale notes:

G A C D Eb

How the japanese scale is built:

The japanese scale is built from the degrees 1 2 4 5 b6, which gives the step pattern W-W+H-W-H-WW (W = whole step, H = half step).

Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 5, 7, 8. That makes it a 5-note scale.

G Japanese Scale Guitar Patterns

Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.

On one string (G)

Box pattern — position 1

Box pattern — position 2

Box pattern — position 3

Box pattern — position 4

Box pattern — position 5

3 notes per string — position 1

Other scales on G

Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.

G Indian: b2 instead of 2
G Minor: adds the b3 and b7
G Harmonic Minor: adds the b3 and 7
G Harmonic Major: adds the 3 and 7
G Mixolydian b6: adds the 3 and b7

The japanese scale in other keys

C Japanese C# Japanese D Japanese Eb Japanese E Japanese F Japanese F# Japanese G Japanese Ab Japanese A Japanese Bb Japanese B Japanese

All about the japanese scale →

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher