Bebop Scales
In this 5 minute masterclass we’re going talk about bebop scales. Bebop scales are scales that derive from the bebop language, adding an extra chromatic note to a basic major, minor or dominant scale. This extra note is very useful as it will help to create logical phrases with 4 or 8 notes.
It is worth remembering that the bebop language came first: the melodies used in bebop language are essential to learn and study, not only these scales. You could think of the bebop scales as a way to explain theoretically the rules or guide lines that apply to bebop.
Lesson Downloads
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Bebop Scales Lesson Notation File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
In this lesson we will take a look at one of the leading figures in the development of bebop and modern jazz, Bud Powell, and his solo on Sonny Side.
The melodic minor is an exotic sounding scale and the modes of the melodic minor are used extensively in jazz improvisation.
We introduce the major modes, explaining what they are and where they come from. These 7 modes play a fundamental role in improvisation.
Practice Tips
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Choose a bebop tune and identify the bebop scales that would be used with the chord changes.
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See if you can identify bebop scales in use in a transcribed solo of a bebop player, for example, Charlie Parker or Bud Powell.
- Take a few lines from a transcription, or write your own lines, and practice playing them in a few commonly used keys.
