The Hyōjō scale
Hyōjō uses the ritsu scale. Its five core degrees are kyū E, shō F#, kaku A, chi B, u C#, with ei-shō G and ei-u D as the two additional degrees. The characters on the tonic are played steadily at standard pitch, without meri.
Scale and characters by instrument
| Pitch | Jūniritsu | Role in this mode | Shō 笙 | Hichiriki 篳篥 | Ryūteki 竜笛 | Biwa 琵琶 | Koto 筝 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Hyōjō 平調 | kyū (core), tonic | 乙E5八E6 | 四E5 | 干,E5干E6責干E7 | 一E2str. 1, open乙E3str. 2, fret 3クE3str. 3, open也E4str. 4, fret 4 | 一E3三E4八E5巾E6 |
| F# | Shimomu 下無 | shō (core) | 下F#5千F#6 | 舌F#4一F#5丄F#5 | 五F#5責五F#6 | 工F#2str. 1, fret 1コF#3str. 2, fret 4七F#3str. 3, fret 1 | 四F#4九F#5 |
| G | Sōjō 双調 | ei-shō | 十G5 | — | 丄G5責丄G6 | 凢G2str. 1, fret 2ヒG3str. 3, fret 2 | — |
| A | Ōshiki 黄鐘 | kaku (core) | 乞A4行A5 | 五A4丁A5 | 夕A5責夕A6 | フA2str. 1, fret 3〻A3str. 3, fret 3丄A3str. 4, open | 五A4十A5 |
| B | Banshiki 盤渉 | chi (core) | 一B4七B5 | 工B4 | 中B5責中B6 | 斗B2str. 1, fret 4乚B2str. 2, open之B3str. 3, fret 4八B3str. 4, fret 1 | 二B3六B4斗B5 |
| C# | Kamimu 上無 | u (core) | 工C#5言C#6 | 凢C#5 | 丅C#6責丅C#7 | 下C#3str. 2, fret 1丨C#4str. 4, fret 2 | 七C#5為C#6 |
| D | Ichikotsu 壱越 | ei-u | 凢D5上D6 | 六D5 | 六D6責六D7 | 十D3str. 2, fret 2ムD4str. 4, fret 3 | — |
| G# | Fushō 鳧鐘 | outside the scale | 美G#5 | — | — | — | — |
| C | Shinsen 神仙 | outside the scale | 比C6 | — | — | — | — |
Pitches use international names (A4 = 430 Hz). Characters in red get a special technique such as meri or hakari in Hyōjō (see the next table). Biwa entries show string and fret; koto entries are string names. The biwa and koto tunings are provisional, built from the mode's tonic and scale because no source was found. Shō pitches are for single pipes, not chords.
Special techniques in Hyōjō (meri and hakari)
| Instrument | Character | Pitch (standard → this mode) | Technique (as played by the app) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hichiriki | 舌 | G4 → F#4 | Lowered a semitone (meri). The onset dips about 70 cents before rising. |
| Hichiriki | 凢 | C5 → C#5 | Fitted to the mode's C# (Kamimu). The onset dips about 60 cents before rising. |
| Hichiriki | 六 | D5 (unchanged) | Sinks about 45 cents where it meets 五, 工. |
| Hichiriki | 四 | E5 (unchanged) | The onset dips about 40 cents before rising. |
| Hichiriki | 丄 | G5 → F#5 | Lowered a semitone (meri). The onset dips about 70 cents before rising. |
| Ryūteki | 干 | E6 (unchanged) | In the low register, lands smoothly from about 32 cents above. |
| Ryūteki | 五 | F#5 (unchanged) | Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 22 cents to pitch. |
| Ryūteki | 夕 | A5 (unchanged) | Held for 0.8 s or more, falls about 90 cents: in steps mid-phrase, sliding at the end of a phrase. |
| Ryūteki | 丅 | C#6 (unchanged) | Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 20 cents to pitch. |
| Ryūteki | 六 | D6 (unchanged) | As a passing note (different notes on both sides, one beat or less), dips about 60 cents (meru). |
A cent is 1/100 of a semitone. The values are the app's defaults; change them in HICHIRIKI_MERI and RYUTEKI_MERI in gagaku/instruments.py and in gagaku/tunings.json.