Guitar scale · exotic
C Bebop Major Scale
Major scale with a passing ♯5 (♭6) between the 5th and the 6th, giving eight notes so that chord tones fall on the beat.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Bebop Major 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|--------------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|------------------------------------9-10-12---------| G|----------------------------9-10-12-----------------| D|--------------------9-10-12-------------------------| A|---------8-10-11-12---------------------------------| E|-8-10-12--------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------------12-13----------| G|-------------------------------10-12-13-14----------------| D|----------------------10-12-14----------------------------| A|----------10-11-12-14-------------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------12-13-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------------13-15-------------| G|-------------------------------12-13-14-16-------------------| D|----------------------12-14-15-------------------------------| A|-------------12-14-15----------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-16-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------15-16-17-19-| B|-------------------------------------------17-18-------------| G|----------------------------------16-17-19-------------------| D|----------------------15-17-18-19----------------------------| A|-------------15-17-19----------------------------------------| E|-15-16-17-19-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------17-19-20-| B|----------------------------------------18-20-21----------| G|-------------------------------17-19-21-------------------| D|-------------------17-18-19-21----------------------------| A|----------17-19-20----------------------------------------| E|-17-19-20-------------------------------------------------|
How to play C Bebop Major 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 | E |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | G |
| ♯5 | G# |
| 6 | A |
| 7 | B |
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Practise C Bebop Major 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 Major Scale?
- The C Bebop Major Scale has 8 notes: C, D, E, F, G, G#, A, B.
- What is the formula of the bebop major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 ♯5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W H H W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Bebop Major 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.