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Guitar scale · exotic

A Bebop Dominant Scale

8-note scale adding a major 7th passing tone to Mixolydian for seamless downbeat chord tones.

Notes ABC#DEF#GG#
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7
Steps W W H W W H H H
Mood Swinging, Fluid, Classic Bebop
Heard in Charlie Parker lines, Jazz Guitar Solos

Interactive scale diagram

A Bebop Dominant 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.

How to play A Bebop Dominant on guitar

Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are 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 5–9. 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 A
2 B
3 C#
4 D
5 E
6 F#
♭7 G
7 G#

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Questions

What notes are in the A Bebop Dominant Scale?
The A Bebop Dominant Scale has 8 notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G, G#.
What is the formula of the bebop dominant scale?
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W H H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play A Bebop Dominant on the guitar?
The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Bebop Dominant Scale in every key

More scales in A