About the Hirajoshi Japanese Scale#
Hirajoshi is a five-note scale from Japan, best known as a tuning for the koto, the long plucked zither. Where most Western pentatonic scales avoid half steps, this one has two of them, between B and C and again between E and F. Those tight little steps are what give it the dark, faraway sound many listeners hear as Japanese.
This version runs ten notes, from low A all the way up to high F, so it is a real tour of the 12-hole ocarina. The two lowest notes, low A and low B, need the small sub-holes closed, and a 6-hole ocarina cannot reach them at all. At the other end, high E and high F open the thumb holes. Play it slowly and listen for those half steps.
Hirajoshi Japanese Scale Ocarina Tab#
| A | B | C | E | F | A | B | C | E | F |