STRINGSCALES

B♭ bebop Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, Ab, A, Bb, C, D, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

A string: A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

D string: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, Ab, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

B string: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A, Bb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11

High E string: F, G, Ab, A, Bb, C, D, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

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Bb 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:

B♭

I

C

II

D

III

E♭

IV

F

V

G

VI

A♭

bVII

A

VII

Same notes, different mode

Bb 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.

D bebop locrianEb ichikosuchoF bebop minor

bebop in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Run Bb bebop (the dominant bebop scale) in straight eighth notes starting on a chord tone; the added passing tone between bVII (Ab) 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 (D) or flat 7th (Ab) 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 B♭ bebop on guitar

A-shape barre sits at fret 1, so the lowest grip in this key is right at the nut end of the neck. Three open strings fall inside the scale, open A the major seventh and open D the major third, so there is some open colour even if a steady drone is not on offer. Lowest root is fret 6 on the low E, with fret 1 on the A, fret 8 on the D and fret 3 on the G. Box one ends its run at fret 10.

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