B Bebop Locrian Guitar Scale

B Bebop Locrian Scale — Notes and Intervals

The B Bebop Locrian scale is a modern bebop variation designed for half-diminished chords. On Guitar, the notes are B, C, D, E, F, F#, G, A. It provides a chromatic bridge that helps musicians maintain rhythmic momentum while soloing over highly dissonant and difficult chord changes. Commonly used in Modern Jazz, Post-Bop, Fusion. Notable players include John Coltrane, Woody Shaw, Steve Coleman. Use over m7b5 chords. Maintains bebop rhythmic alignment in the most dissonant harmonic context.

Notes: B, C, D, E, F, F#, G, A

Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3m, 4P, 5d, 5P, 6m, 7m

Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 b7 b8

Formula: H-W-W-H-H-H-W-W

Number of notes: 8

Musical Character

A chromatic bridge added to the Locrian mode for maintaining rhythmic momentum over half-diminished chords — the most challenging bebop scale.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Modern Jazz, Post-Bop, Fusion

Notable players: John Coltrane, Woody Shaw, Steve Coleman

How to Use the B Bebop Locrian Scale

Use over m7b5 chords. Maintains bebop rhythmic alignment in the most dissonant harmonic context.

Origin & Background

A modern bebop extension for navigating half-diminished chord changes with the same fluidity as standard bebop scales.

How to Play B Bebop Locrian on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 7 on the 6th (low E) to find your B root note. Because this scale has 8 notes, four-notes-per-string stretches may be necessary. Start with a single position and expand gradually. Keep your thumb centered behind the neck for reach.

The B Bebop Locrian scale contains 1 sharp (F#). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.

Practice Routine

Set a metronome to 100 BPM and play the B Bebop Locrian scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.

Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on B to let the characteristic intervals of the Bebop Locrian scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in post-bop contexts.

Guitar Tips

On guitar, practice the B Bebop Locrian scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications. Aim for a complex quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

Bebop Locrian is the Locrian with added chromatic passing tone. View B Locrian scale

• B Locrian
• B Locrian #2
• B Bebop
• B Altered

The B Bebop Locrian scale contains 8 notes (B, C, D, E, F, F#, G, A). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.

CAGED Positions & Patterns for B Bebop Locrian

The B Bebop Locrian scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 8-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.

Explore B Bebop Locrian Further

• Harmonize the B Bebop Locrian scale — triads & 7th chords
• Browse chord progressions
• B Bebop Locrian on Ukulele
• B Bebop Locrian on Bass
• B Bebop Locrian on Piano

Explore B Bebop Locrian in Other Tunings

• B Bebop Locrian in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
• B Bebop Locrian in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
• B Bebop Locrian in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
• B Bebop Locrian in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
• B Bebop Locrian in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
• B Bebop Locrian in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
• B Bebop Locrian in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
• B Bebop Locrian in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
• B Bebop Locrian in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
• B Bebop Locrian in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
• B Bebop Locrian in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
• B Bebop Locrian in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
• B Bebop Locrian in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
• B Bebop Locrian in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)

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