folk scale; anhemitonic pentatonic scale
Musicological term for a pentatonic scale without semitones, commonly used in Japanese folk songs. The specific notes (mi, so, la, ti, re) are given in the English gloss.
The folk scale is often used in Japanese folk songs.
五音音階 is a general term for pentatonic scales, while 民謡音階 specifically refers to the anhemitonic pentatonic scale used in Japanese folk music.
Compound of 民謡 (folk song) and 音階 (musical scale). The term is a modern musicological coinage.