Scales · Hirajoshi Key of G♯

G♯ Hirajoshi Scale on guitar · notes, intervals & diagram

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

Standard tuning · 15 frets

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

Notes & intervals.

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

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 G♯.

Scale

G♯ Major

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

Scale

G♯ Natural Minor

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

Scale

G♯ 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

G♯ Minor Pentatonic

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

Scale

G♯ Blues

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

Scale

G♯ Dorian

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

Scale

G♯ Phrygian

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

Scale

G♯ Lydian

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

Scale

G♯ Mixolydian

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

Scale

G♯ Locrian

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

Scale

G♯ 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

G♯ Melodic Minor

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

Scale

G♯ Phrygian Dominant

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

Scale

G♯ Hungarian Minor

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

Scale

G♯ 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 G♯ Hirajoshi scale
on guitar.

What notes are in the G♯ Hirajoshi scale?

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

Where does the G♯ Hirajoshi scale come from?

It's the Hirajoshi scale rooted on G♯. 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 G♯ 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 G♯ Hirajoshi scale?

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

Can I print the G♯ 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.