Piano scales

Scales source and guide for musicians

Bebop Scales

The bebop scales are mostly used in jazz. The close relationship between the Major Bebop Scale and the ordinary Major Scale is clear. The only difference is one extra note, a so-called passing tone. As the pictures below show, the chromatic passing note can be found between the 5th and 6th notes in the scale.

The Major and Minor Bebop scales (scroll down for charts) can be used for improvising/soloing in jazz. The most straightforward approach is to play a scale with the same root note as the key in the jazz tune, but is more common to use the scale only over parts of the song and the main procedure is to chord quality and root note. For example, using C Major Bebop over a Cmaj7 chord and C Minor Bebop over a Cm7 chord. The passing notes are mainly played on the upbeats.

It can also be noticed that it is a sort of merging between the Natural Minor and Harmonic Minor regarding their relative major scales. For example, C Major Bebop Scale includes the same notes as in both A Natural Minor and A Harmonic Minor.

Major Bebop Scales

Here are pictures and notes of the Major Bebop Scale. See also Minor Bebop Scales.

Major Bebop Scales overview
C: C, D, E, F, G, G#, A, B, C
C#/Db: C#, D#, F, F#, G#, A, A#, C, C#
D: D, E, F#, G, A, A#, B, C#, D
D#/Eb: D#, F, G, G#, A#, B, C, D, D#
E: E, F#, G#, A, B, C, C#, D#, E
F: F, G, A, Bb, C, Db, D, E, F
F#/Gb: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D, D#, F, F#
G: G, A, B, C, D, D#, E, F#, G
G#/Ab: G#, A#, C, C#, D#, E, F, G, G#
A: A, B, C#, D, E, F, F#, G#, A
A#/Bb: A#, C, D, Eb, F, F#, G, A, A#
B: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G, G#, A#, B

Intervals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6b, 6, 7
Semi-notes: 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 1
Formula: Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Half, Half, Whole, Half

Backing track

G Major Bebop Cool Jazz

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Minor Bebop Scales

Here are pictures and notes of the Minor Bebop Scale.

Minor Bebop Scales overview
C: C, D, Eb, E, F, G, A, Bb, C
C#/Db: C#, D#, E, F, F#, G#, A#, B, C#
D: D, E, F, Gb, G, A, B, C, D
D#/Eb: D#, F, F#, G, G#, A#, C, C#, D#
E: E, Gb, G, Ab, A, B, Db, D, E
F: F, G, Ab, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F
F#/Gb: F#, G#, A, A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#
G: G, A, Bb, B, C, D, E, F, G
G#/Ab: G#, A#, B, C, C#, D#, F, F#, G#
A: A, B, C, Db, D, E, Gb, G, A
A#/Bb: A#, C, C#, D, D#, F, G, G#, A#
B: B, C#, D, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B

Intervals: 1, 2, 3b, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7b
Semi-notes: 2 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 2
Formula: Whole, Half, Half, Half, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole

D Minor Bebop

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Additional scales

In addition, there are two other variations of the bebop scale: Bebop Dominant and Bebop Dorian. All these scales are great tools for learning to play jazz.