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bebop major scale

bebop major, passing ♯5

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

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