In a recent post, we covered the popular Chinese melody, but what if we want to “turn Japanese” for real? To find out we turn to the Japanese pentatonic Insen scale!
In the example above, the tonic would be on the G#, as it is traditionally written. Generally speaking, and don’t call me a racist, but a 5-note Major Scale tends to sound Chinese, while a 5-note minor scale is totally Japanese. The above sounds like G# minor or D# minor even without a minor third present.
The five notes of the Insen scale represent the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Void. They also have male and female characteristics. It was invented by a blind koto player from Kyoto. So it’s a little too serious for American Pop, but always good for an Oriental song parody, or the occasional post-prog bust-out.
Insen is an incomplete Diatonic scale. It’s a fun key to jam upon, to evoke the exotic Far East. Straight up the scale makes a satisfying melody. Go straight down and you’ve got yourself a song. Use lots of bends on every note for that authentic Kyoto koto sound.
Shift the tonic to E, and you make a neat little Lydian scale (E G# A# C# D#). To hear these five notes in action, listen to “Insane Insen In Six” below. This version from 2010 is much faster than in recent years; it’s insane. From the night of ole Joey’s Cafe.
