Guitar scale · exotic
B 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.
B 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|---------------------------------------7-9-11-| B|-------------------------------9-10-11--------| G|------------------------8-9-11----------------| D|---------------7-8-9-11-----------------------| A|--------7-9-11--------------------------------| E|-7-9-11---------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|------------------------------------10-11-12---------| G|----------------------------9-11-13------------------| D|--------------------9-11-13--------------------------| A|---------9-11-12-13----------------------------------| E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------------12-14----------| G|-------------------------------11-13-14-15----------------| D|----------------------11-13-14----------------------------| A|----------11-12-13-14-------------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------14-16-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------------16-17-------------| G|-------------------------------14-15-16-18-------------------| D|----------------------14-16-18-------------------------------| A|-------------14-16-18----------------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-18-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------16-17-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------------17-19-------------| G|----------------------------------16-18-20-------------------| D|----------------------16-18-19-20----------------------------| A|-------------16-18-19----------------------------------------| E|-16-17-18-19-------------------------------------------------|
How to play B Bebop Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| 3 | D# |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| 6 | G# |
| ♭7 | A |
| 7 | A# |
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Practise B 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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Questions
- What notes are in the B Bebop Dominant Scale?
- The B Bebop Dominant Scale has 8 notes: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, A#.
- 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 B Bebop Dominant on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.