The Ōshiki-chō scale
Ōshiki-chō uses the ritsu scale. Its five core degrees are kyū A, shō B, kaku D, chi E, u F#, with ei-shō C and ei-u G 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Ōshiki 黄鐘 | kyū (core), tonic | 乞A4行A5 | 五A4丁A5 | 夕A5責夕A6 | 一A2str. 1, open乙A3str. 2, fret 3クA3str. 3, open也A4str. 4, fret 4 | 一A3三A4八A5巾A6 |
| B | Banshiki 盤渉 | shō (core) | 一B4七B5 | 工B4 | 中B5責中B6 | 工B2str. 1, fret 1コB3str. 2, fret 4七B3str. 3, fret 1 | 四B4九B5 |
| C | Shinsen 神仙 | ei-shō | 比C6 | 凢C5 | 丅C6責丅C7 | 凢C3str. 1, fret 2ヒC4str. 3, fret 2 | — |
| D | Ichikotsu 壱越 | kaku (core) | 凢D5上D6 | 六D5 | 六D6責六D7 | フD3str. 1, fret 3〻D4str. 3, fret 3丄D4str. 4, open | 五D5十D6 |
| E | Hyōjō 平調 | chi (core) | 乙E5八E6 | 四E5 | 干,E5干E6責干E7 | 斗E3str. 1, fret 4乚E3str. 2, open之E4str. 3, fret 4八E4str. 4, fret 1 | 二E4六E5斗E6 |
| F# | Shimomu 下無 | u (core) | 下F#5千F#6 | 一F#5 | 五F#5責五F#6 | 下F#3str. 2, fret 1丨F#4str. 4, fret 2 | 七F#5為F#6 |
| G | Sōjō 双調 | ei-u | 十G5 | 舌G4丄G5 | 丄G5責丄G6 | 十G3str. 2, fret 2ムG4str. 4, fret 3 | — |
| C# | Kamimu 上無 | outside the scale | 工C#5言C#6 | — | — | — | — |
| G# | Fushō 鳧鐘 | outside the scale | 美G#5 | — | — | — | — |
Pitches use international names (A4 = 430 Hz). Characters in red get a special technique such as meri or hakari in Ōshiki-chō (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 Ōshiki-chō (meri and hakari)
| Instrument | Character | Pitch (standard → this mode) | Technique (as played by the app) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hichiriki | 舌 | G4 (unchanged) | Sinks about 35 cents where it meets 一, 丁, 五. |
| Hichiriki | 凢 | C5 (unchanged) | Meri-han: a shallow, relaxed embouchure gives C (Shinsen); the onset dips about 55 cents. |
| Hichiriki | 丄 | G5 (unchanged) | Sinks about 35 cents where it meets 一, 丁, 五. |
| Ryūteki | 中, 丅, 六, 干 | B5, C6, D6, E6 | Just before moving down to 夕, falls about 70 cents in steps. |
| Ryūteki | 丅 | C#6 → C6 | Lowered a semitone with hakari (half-covering the hole) and strong meri (also in 責). Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 30 cents to pitch. |
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.