Scales · Hirajoshi Key of D

D Hirajoshi Scale on guitar · notes, intervals & diagram

The D Hirajoshi scale contains the notes D, E, F, A, A♯. Traditional Japanese pentatonic — austere, contemplative, instantly evocative of koto music.

Standard tuning · 15 frets

Open in interactive tool →
EADGBE 35791215 E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F A A♯ D E F Root Scale note

Notes & intervals.

# Degree Note
1 1 D root
2 2 E
3 b3 F
4 5 A
5 b6 A♯

Sound & use

Traditional Japanese pentatonic — austere, contemplative, instantly evocative of koto music.

Japanese folk, ambient soloing, anything wanting a serene non-Western texture. Five notes, easy to use in a Western harmonic context.

Common in: japanese, ambient, film, world

Try it interactively

Scale generator →

Other scales

Other scales in the key of D.

Scale

D Major

Bright, resolved, optimistic — the default sound of Western pop, folk and most children's music.

Scale

D Natural Minor

Melancholy, introspective, serious — but not desperately sad. The classic "minor key" sound.

Scale

D Major Pentatonic

The major scale with the 4 and 7 removed — five notes that "always work" over a major chord. Sweet, melodic, never dissonant.

Scale

D Minor Pentatonic

The scale that built rock and blues. Bluesy, plaintive, and easy to play in five connected positions across the neck.

Scale

D Blues

Minor pentatonic plus the "blue note" (b5). Gritty, vocal, instantly recognisable as the blues.

Scale

D Dorian

Minor with a major 6th — darker than major, warmer than natural minor. Sophisticated, hopeful-melancholy.

Scale

D Phrygian

Minor with a flat 2nd — exotic, Spanish, slightly menacing. The b2 is the defining sound.

Scale

D Lydian

Major with a raised 4th — dreamy, suspended, otherworldly. The sound of film-score wonder.

Scale

D Mixolydian

Major with a flat 7th — bright but bluesy. The "rock major scale".

Scale

D Locrian

The "weird one" — minor with both a flat 2nd and a flat 5th. Restless, dissonant, hard to resolve.

Scale

D Harmonic Minor

Natural minor with a raised 7th — creates the dramatic 1.5-step gap between b6 and 7. Classical, neo-classical, Middle-Eastern flavours.

Scale

D Melodic Minor

Minor scale with a major 6th and 7th going up (jazz/ascending form). Sophisticated, slippery, modern.

Scale

D Phrygian Dominant

Phrygian with a major 3rd — the iconic flamenco/Middle-Eastern sound. Major flavour, minor tension.

Scale

D Hungarian Minor

Two augmented seconds (between b3–#4 and b6–7) give this scale its distinctive Eastern European / Romani drama.

Scale

D Whole Tone

Six equally-spaced notes, no semitones — the symmetrical "dreamlike" scale. No clear tonic; ambiguous and weightless.

All keys

Hirajoshi scale in every key.

FAQ

About the D Hirajoshi scale
on guitar.

What notes are in the D Hirajoshi scale?

The D Hirajoshi scale contains the notes D, E, F, A, A♯. The intervals from the root are 1, 2, b3, 5, b6.

Where does the D Hirajoshi scale come from?

It's the Hirajoshi scale rooted on D. Traditional Japanese pentatonic — austere, contemplative, instantly evocative of koto music. Japanese folk, ambient soloing, anything wanting a serene non-Western texture. Five notes, easy to use in a Western harmonic context.

How do I practise the D Hirajoshi scale on guitar?

Start with the diagram on this page — find the root notes (the orange dots) and play through the pattern slowly, alternating picking. Once the shape is in your hands, set a metronome at around 60 BPM and play it ascending and descending in eighth-notes. Use the free metronome to keep yourself honest.

Which genres use the D Hirajoshi scale?

The Hirajoshi scale is found across japanese, ambient, film, world. The character of the key — D — affects how it feels rather than how it works: a D Hirajoshi solo has the same intervals and the same emotional shape as any other Hirajoshi solo, just transposed.

Can I print the D Hirajoshi fretboard diagram?

Yes. Use your browser's print function (Cmd/Ctrl + P) — the diagram on this page is a vector SVG that prints crisply at any size. Or use the interactive scale generator to export the same diagram as a standalone SVG or PNG file.