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The Ritsu Scale - Guitar Diagrams & Theory

The Ritsu scale, alos referred to as Ritsu Onkai, is a Japanese hexatonic scale organized this way : 

1 (tonic), b2 (minor second), b3 (minor third), 4 (perfect fourth), b6 (minor sixth), b7 (minor seventh).

It can be seen as the Locrian mode without the fifth.

C Ritsu Scale C Db Eb F Ab Bb
Formula 1 b2 (b9) b3 4 (11) b6 (b13) b7
Intervals H W W W+H W W

 

Ritsu scale

One Octave Guitar Shapes

Here are four guitar neck diagrams showing the positions to play the Ritsu scale within the space of one octave.

Ritus scale guitar charts

Two Octave Shapes

These two shapes show the Ritsu scale covering at least two octaves on the guitar neck.

Ritsu scale scale guitar positions

The 6 Modes Of The Ritsu Scale

Here below you see the Ritsu scale spanning the whole guitar neck.

Each shape starts from each note of the scale, thus representing the 6 modes.

Ritsu scale guitar shapes

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Last edited: 2025-03-09

Comments

  • Laura Mora

    1 Laura Mora On 05/06/2023

    Hello, I would like to know the references or sources from where they obtained the construction of this Ritsu scale, since it is different from the one I know of by Fumio Koizumi, I thank you very much
    jazz-guitar-licks

    jazz-guitar-licks On 14/06/2023

    Many sources :
    https://ianring.com/musictheory/scales/1323
    https://pianoencyclopedia.com/scales/ritsu/C-ritsu.html

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