Guitar scale · exotic
Bb 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.
Bb 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|--------------------------------------6-8-10-| B|-------------------------------7-8-10--------| G|------------------------7-8-10---------------| D|-----------------7-8-10----------------------| A|--------6-8-9-10-----------------------------| E|-6-8-10--------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|--------------------------------------10-11---------| G|---------------------------8-10-11-12---------------| D|-------------------8-10-12--------------------------| A|---------8-9-10-12----------------------------------| E|-8-10-11--------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------------11-13-------------| G|-------------------------------10-11-12-14-------------------| D|----------------------10-12-13-------------------------------| A|-------------10-12-13----------------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------13-14-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------------15-16-------------| G|----------------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|----------------------13-15-16-17----------------------------| A|-------------13-15-17----------------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-17-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|----------------------------------------16-18-19----------| G|-------------------------------15-17-19-------------------| D|-------------------15-16-17-19----------------------------| A|----------15-17-18----------------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Bebop Major 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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| ♯5 | F# |
| 6 | G |
| 7 | A |
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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 Bb Bebop Major Scale?
- The Bb Bebop Major Scale has 8 notes: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, F#, G, A.
- 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 Bb Bebop Major 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.