Jazz Scale - Bebop Scales

Bebop Scales

Bebop scales add a single chromatic passing tone to the 7 note major scale (Ionian and Mixolydian modes). The added passing tone creates an 8 tone scale that fits rhythmically evenly within a 4/4 measure of eight 8th notes, thus making it useful in practicing. When an 8th note bebop scale run starts on the beat from a chord tone (Root, 3rd, 5th or ♭7th) the other chord notes will also fall on the beats. As a result all of the "non-chord tones" will fall on the upbeats (the "ands" when counting "one and two and three and four and") and become passing tones.

There are two commonly used types of bebop scales:

Dominant bebop scale, which adds the raised 7th to Mixolydian: Ascending: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7 (8) Descending: 8 ♭7 6 ♭6 5 4 3 2 (1)

Major bebop scale, which adds ♯5 to Ionian: 1 2 3 4 5 ♯5 6 7 (8)

NOTE: A dominant bebop scale works well over an entire ii V.