Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · exotic

C# Bebop Harmonic Minor Scale

Harmonic minor with a passing ♭7 between the ♭6 and the 7, giving eight notes.

Notes C#D#EF#G#ABB#
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 7
Steps W H W W H W H H
Mood Swinging, Dark, Fluid
Heard in Bebop Lines, Jazz Improvisation

Interactive scale diagram

C# Bebop Harmonic Minor 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.

C# Bebop Harmonic Minor 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 9–13
e|---------------------------------------------9-11-12-|
B|------------------------------------10-12-13---------|
G|----------------------------9-11-13------------------|
D|-----------------9-10-11-13--------------------------|
A|---------9-11-12-------------------------------------|
E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------------11-12-14-|
B|----------------------------------------12-13-14----------|
G|-------------------------------11-13-14-------------------|
D|----------------------11-13-14----------------------------|
A|----------11-12-14-15-------------------------------------|
E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------------14-16-17-|
B|----------------------------------------14-16-17----------|
G|----------------------------13-14-16-17-------------------|
D|-------------------13-14-16-------------------------------|
A|----------14-15-16----------------------------------------|
E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 16–20
e|-------------------------------------------------16-17-19-20-|
B|-------------------------------------------17-19-------------|
G|-------------------------------16-17-18-20-------------------|
D|----------------------16-18-19-------------------------------|
A|-------------16-18-19----------------------------------------|
E|-16-17-19-20-------------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 18–22
e|-------------------------------------------------19-20-21-|
B|----------------------------------------19-21-22----------|
G|-------------------------------18-20-21-------------------|
D|-------------------18-19-21-22----------------------------|
A|----------18-19-21----------------------------------------|
E|-19-20-21-------------------------------------------------|

How to play C# Bebop Harmonic Minor 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.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 C#
2 D#
♭3 E
4 F#
5 G#
♭6 A
♭7 B
7 B#

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise C# Bebop Harmonic Minor 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.

Free

  • 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
  • A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
  • A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
  • Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz

One purchase

  • 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
  • Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
  • Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
  • No subscription, ads removed

Questions

What notes are in the C# Bebop Harmonic Minor Scale?
The C# Bebop Harmonic Minor Scale has 8 notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B, B#.
What is the formula of the bebop harmonic minor scale?
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 7, which is the step pattern W H W W H W H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play C# Bebop Harmonic Minor 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.

Bebop Harmonic Minor Scale in every key

More scales in C#