Scales › bebop major

bebop major scale

bebop major, passing ♯5

bebop major on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the bebop major scale laid out across the whole neck, from fret 0 to fret 15. The guide tones (3rd and 7th) are highlighted — they're what makes the scale's color sing. Use the key selector above to shift the shape along the neck and find the positions in your key.

What color?

Major scale plus the ♯5 (♭6) as a passing tone between the 5 and the 6: eight notes that naturally place the chord tones on the beats. The classic bebop phrasing over a maj7 or a 6.

Origin & history

The "bebop" variant of the major scale: a chromatic passing tone is inserted to align the chord tones with the strong beats. Codified by jazz pedagogy, in the wake of the great boppers.

Which chords to play it on?

The jazz consensus (Aebersold) recommends it on:

Try it in a real chart

Paste a chord chart into the tool: Pentania tells you, chord by chord, when this scale fits — and what other colors are open to you. Open the tool →