Guitar scale · exotic
A Bebop Dominant Scale
8-note scale adding a major 7th passing tone to Mixolydian for seamless downbeat chord tones.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Bebop Dominant Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|---------------------------------5-7-9-| B|---------------------------7-8-9-------| G|---------------------6-7-9-------------| D|-------------5-6-7-9-------------------| A|-------5-7-9---------------------------| E|-5-7-9---------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------7-9-10-| B|--------------------------------8-9-10--------| G|-------------------------7-9-11---------------| D|------------------7-9-11----------------------| A|--------7-9-10-11-----------------------------| E|-7-9-10---------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|---------------------------------------10-12---------| G|----------------------------9-11-12-13---------------| D|--------------------9-11-12--------------------------| A|---------9-10-11-12----------------------------------| E|-9-10-12---------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------12-14-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------------14-15-------------| G|-------------------------------12-13-14-16-------------------| D|----------------------12-14-16-------------------------------| A|-------------12-14-16----------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-16-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------14-15-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------------15-17-------------| G|----------------------------------14-16-18-------------------| D|----------------------14-16-17-18----------------------------| A|-------------14-16-17----------------------------------------| E|-14-15-16-17-------------------------------------------------|
How to play A Bebop Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| 3 | C# |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| 6 | F# |
| ♭7 | G |
| 7 | G# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Bebop Dominant anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Bebop Dominant Scale?
- The A Bebop Dominant Scale has 8 notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G, G#.
- What is the formula of the bebop dominant scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W H H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Bebop Dominant on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.