Guitar scale · exotic
Bb 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.
Bb 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|--------------------------------------6-8-10-| B|-------------------------------8-9-10--------| G|------------------------7-8-10---------------| D|---------------6-7-8-10----------------------| A|--------6-8-10-------------------------------| E|-6-8-10--------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|------------------------------------9-10-11---------| G|----------------------------8-10-12-----------------| D|--------------------8-10-12-------------------------| A|---------8-10-11-12---------------------------------| E|-8-10-11--------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|-------------------------------------------11-13----------| G|-------------------------------10-12-13-14----------------| D|----------------------10-12-13----------------------------| A|----------10-11-12-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------13-15-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------------15-16-------------| G|-------------------------------13-14-15-17-------------------| D|----------------------13-15-17-------------------------------| A|-------------13-15-17----------------------------------------| E|-13-15-16-17-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------15-16-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------------16-18-------------| G|----------------------------------15-17-19-------------------| D|----------------------15-17-18-19----------------------------| A|-------------15-17-18----------------------------------------| E|-15-16-17-18-------------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Bebop Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| 6 | G |
| ♭7 | Ab |
| 7 | A |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Bb 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.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Bebop Dominant Scale?
- The Bb Bebop Dominant Scale has 8 notes: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, 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 Bb Bebop Dominant on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.