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The Major Bebop Scale | Guitar Diagrams and Theory

The major bebop scale is an octatonic scale (eight notes).

It contains the same notes as the major scale (ionian mode) including a passing tone (#5) between the fifth (5) and the sixth (6).

Adding this chromatic passing tone creates a scale with eight notes, which aligns better with the rhythm of bebop music and helps to create smoother-sounding lines when improvising over chord changes.

Interval Pattern

The major bebop scale can be thought of as a traditional major scale enriched with an additional chromatic passing tone, giving it a smoother, more fluid sound that fits naturally within jazz phrasing.

This extra note is placed between the 5th and 6th degrees of the scale. By inserting this chromatic tone, the scale gains an eight-note structure that helps align chord tones with strong beats when playing continuous eighth-note lines—one of the key characteristics of bebop improvisation.

The formula for the major bebop scale is therefore:

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – ♯5 – 6 – 7 – 8

In the key of C major, this results in the following notes:

C – D – E – F – G – G♯ – A – B – C

This added chromatic note not only creates a stronger sense of forward motion, but also allows players to connect chord tones more smoothly, making lines sound more natural, rhythmic, and stylistically authentic in a jazz context.

C Major Bebop Scale C D E F G G# A B
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 #5 6 7
Intervals W W H W H H W H
Major bebop scale

Comparison With The Ionian Mode (Major Scale)

As explains in the chart below, the major bebop scale as an additional note between the 5 and the 6, meaning that you can see it as the Ionian mode with a passing tone.

C Major Scale C D E F G   A B
Formula 1 2 3 4 5   6 7
C Major Bebop Scale C D E F G G# A B
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 #5 6 7

Major Bebop Scale Application

The major bebop scale can be used for improvising over non altered major chords :  Maj7, Maj6, 6/9, sus4, sus2, Maj9, Maj11 and Maj13. Playing the major bebop scale over major chords brings tension because of the #5. 

Notice that the sharp fifth is a passing tone so you need to resolve this note in your major lines and avoid to play it on strong beats. 

One Octave Shapes

Here are four major bebop scale guitar fretboard diagrams. It is recommended to play these patterns starting on the chord tones :

Root / Tonic (1)

Major third (3)

Perfect fifth (5)

Major seventh (7)

Be sure to play these patterns in twelve keys. Playing the corresponding chord is a good way to make the link between scales and chords. For example if you play the G major bebop scale, just play a Gmaj chord (maj7, maj6).

Major bebop scale shapes for guitar

Major Bebop Scale | Two-Octave Shapes

These two diagrams show how to play the major bebop scale within the space of two octaves.

Major bebop scale guitar positions

Major Bebop Scale - 7 Shapes

The 7 shapes below show how to play the major bebop scale all over the guitar neck.

Major bebop scale guitar diagrams 1

C Major Bebop Guitar Pattern

Here is an easy guitar pattern using the major bebeop scale. You can see the #5 on bar 2, specific to this scale. Notice that it starts with a diatonic enclosure. (D-B-C).

Major bebop jazz guitar lick

II V I Jazz Guitar Lick

This line taken from David Baker's book "How To Play Bebop Vol.2", is a major 2 5 1 progression using the C major bebop scale with an outside note over the I chord.

Please note the use of another bebop scale, the Dorian bebop, over the iim chord.

Major bebop jazz guitar lick

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Last edited: 2026-04-16

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