Guitar scale · exotic
D 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.
D 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|-------------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|----------------------------------------12-13-14----------| G|-------------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|-------------------10-11-12-14----------------------------| A|----------10-12-14----------------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|----------------------------------------13-14-15----------| G|-------------------------------12-14-16-------------------| D|----------------------12-14-16----------------------------| A|----------12-14-15-16-------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------14-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------------15-17----------| G|-------------------------------14-16-17-18----------------| D|----------------------14-16-17----------------------------| A|----------14-15-16-17-------------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------17-19-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------------19-20-------------| G|-------------------------------17-18-19-21-------------------| D|----------------------17-19-21-------------------------------| A|-------------17-19-21----------------------------------------| E|-17-19-20-21-------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------19-20-21-22-| B|-------------------------------------19-20-22-------------| G|-------------------------------19-21----------------------| D|----------------------19-21-22----------------------------| A|-------------19-21-22-------------------------------------| E|-19-20-21-22----------------------------------------------|
How to play D Bebop Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | F# |
| 4 | G |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | B |
| ♭7 | C |
| 7 | C# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Bebop Dominant Scale?
- The D Bebop Dominant Scale has 8 notes: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#.
- 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 D Bebop Dominant on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.