Guitar scale · exotic
C Bebop Dorian Scale
Dorian with a passing natural 3rd, giving eight notes so that chord tones fall on the beat.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Bebop Dorian 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|--------------------------------------------8-10-11-12-| B|--------------------------------------10-11------------| G|----------------------------8-9-10-12------------------| D|--------------------8-10-12----------------------------| A|------------8-10-12------------------------------------| E|-8-10-11-12--------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------10-11-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------------11-13-------------| G|----------------------------------10-12-14-------------------| D|----------------------10-12-13-14----------------------------| A|-------------10-12-13----------------------------------------| E|-10-11-12-13-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------12-13-15-| B|----------------------------------------13-15-16----------| G|-------------------------------12-14-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-13-14-15----------------------------| A|----------12-13-15----------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|----------------------------------------16-17-18----------| G|-------------------------------15-17-19-------------------| D|----------------------15-17-19----------------------------| A|----------15-17-18-19-------------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------17-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------------18-20----------| G|-------------------------------17-19-20-21----------------| D|----------------------17-19-20----------------------------| A|----------17-18-19-20-------------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------------|
How to play C Bebop Dorian on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| 2 | D |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| 3 | E |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | G |
| 6 | A |
| ♭7 | Bb |
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Practise C Bebop Dorian 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 C Bebop Dorian Scale?
- The C Bebop Dorian Scale has 8 notes: C, D, Eb, E, F, G, A, Bb.
- What is the formula of the bebop dorian scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 3 4 5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H H H W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Bebop Dorian on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.