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|-----------------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|--------------------------------------10-11-13---------| G|-----------------------------10-11-13------------------| D|--------------------10-11-13---------------------------| A|---------9-11-12-13------------------------------------| E|-9-11-13-----------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------------13-14----------| G|-------------------------------11-13-14-15----------------| D|----------------------11-13-15----------------------------| A|----------11-12-13-15-------------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------13-14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------------14-16-------------| G|-------------------------------13-14-15-17-------------------| D|----------------------13-15-16-------------------------------| A|-------------13-15-16----------------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-17-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------16-17-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------------18-19-------------| G|----------------------------------17-18-20-------------------| D|----------------------16-18-19-20----------------------------| A|-------------16-18-20----------------------------------------| E|-16-17-18-20-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|----------------------------------------19-21-22----------| G|-------------------------------18-20-22-------------------| D|-------------------18-19-20-22----------------------------| A|----------18-20-21----------------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Bebop Major on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 9–13. 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.
C# Bebop Major is also written Db Bebop Major: Db Eb F Gb Ab A Bb C. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| 3 | E# |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| ♯5 | A |
| 6 | A# |
| 7 | B# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
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#, A, 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 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.