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Guitar scale · exotic

Bb Bebop Dominant Scale

8-note scale adding a major 7th passing tone to Mixolydian for seamless downbeat chord tones.

Notes BbCDEbFGAbA
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7
Steps W W H W W H H H
Mood Swinging, Fluid, Classic Bebop
Heard in Charlie Parker lines, Jazz Guitar Solos

Interactive scale diagram

Bb Bebop Dominant Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 6–10
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--------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 8–12
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--------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 10–14
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-------------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 13–17
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-------------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 15–19
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

DegreeNote
1 Bb
2 C
3 D
4 Eb
5 F
6 G
♭7 Ab
7 A

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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.

Bebop Dominant Scale in every key

More scales in Bb