STRINGSCALES

A bebop Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, G, G#, A, B, C#, D, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

A string: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G, G#, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12

D string: D, E, F#, G, G#, A, B, C#, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12

G string: G, G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12

B string: B, C#, D, E, F#, G, G#, A, B at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

High E string: E, F#, G, G#, A, B, C#, D, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

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A bebop

The bebop scale (the dominant bebop scale) is mixolydian plus a chromatic passing tone between the flat 7th and the root, giving eight notes. The added note makes chord tones land on downbeats when you run eighth notes, which is the whole trick of bebop language. It is the default over dominant 7th chords in swing; start on a chord tone and let the passing tone do the work.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

I

B

II

C♯

III

D

IV

E

V

F♯

VI

G

bVII

G♯

VII

Same notes, different mode

A bebop uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

C# bebop locrianD ichikosuchoE bebop minor

bebop in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Run A bebop (the dominant bebop scale) in straight eighth notes starting on a chord tone; the added passing tone between bVII (G) and the root keeps chord tones on downbeats.
  • Use it over the V7 chord of a ii-V-I; switch to plain mixolydian phrasing when the eighth-note line stops.
  • Start lines on the 3rd (C#) or flat 7th (G) of the chord, not just the root; the scale's downbeat logic still holds.
  • Displace: begin the same run an eighth note later and the passing tone lands differently, giving one fingering two rhythmic flavors.

How to play A bebop on guitar

Open A is the root, and every other open string belongs here as well, so fifth-string drone playing needs no fretting hand. Low E and high E both give the fifth, open D the fourth, which means an open bed under a fretted melody keeps itself going. Fretted roots appear at fret 5 on both E strings, fret 7 on the D, fret 2 on the G and fret 10 on the B. Box one wraps up at fret 9.

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