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Guitar scale · exotic

Bb Bebop Dorian Scale

Dorian with a passing natural 3rd, giving eight notes so that chord tones fall on the beat.

Notes BbCDbDEbFGAb
Formula 1 2 ♭3 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Steps W H H H W W H W
Mood Swinging, Fluid, Classic Bebop
Heard in Bebop Lines over minor 7th chords

Interactive scale diagram

Bb Bebop Dorian Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Bb 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 6–10
e|-------------------------------------6-8-9-10-|
B|---------------------------------8-9----------|
G|------------------------6-7-8-10--------------|
D|-----------------6-8-10-----------------------|
A|----------6-8-10------------------------------|
E|-6-8-9-10-------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 8–12
e|-------------------------------------------8-9-10-11-|
B|--------------------------------------9-11-----------|
G|------------------------------8-10-12----------------|
D|-------------------8-10-11-12------------------------|
A|-----------8-10-11-----------------------------------|
E|-8-9-10-11-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------------10-11-13-|
B|----------------------------------------11-13-14----------|
G|-------------------------------10-12-13-------------------|
D|-------------------10-11-12-13----------------------------|
A|----------10-11-13----------------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------------13-15-16-|
B|----------------------------------------14-15-16----------|
G|-------------------------------13-15-17-------------------|
D|----------------------13-15-17----------------------------|
A|----------13-15-16-17-------------------------------------|
E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------------15-16-18-|
B|-------------------------------------------16-18----------|
G|-------------------------------15-17-18-19----------------|
D|----------------------15-17-18----------------------------|
A|----------15-16-17-18-------------------------------------|
E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------------|

How to play Bb Bebop Dorian on guitar

Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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

DegreeNote
1 Bb
2 C
♭3 Db
3 D
4 Eb
5 F
6 G
♭7 Ab

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Questions

What notes are in the Bb Bebop Dorian Scale?
The Bb Bebop Dorian Scale has 8 notes: Bb, C, Db, D, Eb, F, G, Ab.
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 Bb Bebop Dorian on the guitar?
The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Bebop Dorian Scale in every key

More scales in Bb