Guitar scale · exotic
F# 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.
F# 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|---------------------------------2-4-6-| B|---------------------------3-4-6-------| G|---------------------3-4-6-------------| D|---------------3-4-6-------------------| A|-------2-4-5-6-------------------------| E|-2-4-6---------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------4-6-7-| B|-----------------------------6-7-------| G|---------------------4-6-7-8-----------| D|---------------4-6-8-------------------| A|-------4-5-6-8-------------------------| E|-4-6-7---------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------6-7-9-10-| B|-------------------------------7-9----------| G|----------------------6-7-8-10--------------| D|----------------6-8-9-----------------------| A|----------6-8-9-----------------------------| E|-6-7-9-10-----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------9-10-11-13-| B|----------------------------------------11-12------------| G|-------------------------------10-11-13------------------| D|--------------------9-11-12-13---------------------------| A|------------9-11-13--------------------------------------| E|-9-10-11-13----------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|----------------------------------------12-14-15----------| G|-------------------------------11-13-15-------------------| D|-------------------11-12-13-15----------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Bebop Major on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–6. 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.
F# Bebop Major is also written Gb Bebop Major: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db D Eb F. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F# |
| 2 | G# |
| 3 | A# |
| 4 | B |
| 5 | C# |
| ♯5 | D |
| 6 | D# |
| 7 | E# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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 F# Bebop Major Scale?
- The F# Bebop Major Scale has 8 notes: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D, D#, E#.
- 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 F# Bebop Major on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.