C Bebop Minor Guitar Scale
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What chords fit over C Bebop Minor?
Open C Bebop Minor HarmonizerC Bebop Minor Scale — Notes and Intervals
The C Bebop Minor scale is a specialized eight-note scale for minor-key jazz. On Guitar, it contains the notes C, D, Eb, E, F, G, A, Bb. It adds a chromatic note to the Dorian mode to maintain rhythmic drive and harmonic clarity during fast improvisations over minor seventh chords. Commonly used in Jazz, Bebop, Hard Bop. Notable players include Wes Montgomery, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon. Use over m7 chords in jazz. The chromatic addition keeps the phrasing rhythmically clean during fast improvisation.
Notes: C, D, Eb, E, F, G, A, Bb
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 3M, 4P, 5P, 6M, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 b8
Formula: W-H-H-H-W-W-H-W
Number of notes: 8
Musical Character
Adds a chromatic note to Dorian, maintaining the rhythmic alignment of chord tones on strong beats in minor-key bebop contexts.
Genres & Notable Artists
Genres: Jazz, Bebop, Hard Bop
Notable players: Wes Montgomery, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon
How to Use the C Bebop Minor Scale
Use over m7 chords in jazz. The chromatic addition keeps the phrasing rhythmically clean during fast improvisation.
Origin & Background
A bebop-era adaptation of the Dorian mode for maintaining rhythmic drive over minor 7th chords.
How to Play C Bebop Minor on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 8 on the 6th (low E) to find your C 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 C Bebop Minor scale contains 2 flats (Eb, Bb). 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 C Bebop Minor 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 C to let the characteristic intervals of the Bebop Minor scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in bebop contexts.
Guitar Tips
On guitar, practice the C Bebop Minor 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 smooth quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.
Related Scales
Bebop Minor is the Dorian with added chromatic passing tone. View C Dorian scale
The C Bebop Minor scale contains 8 notes (C, D, Eb, E, F, G, A, Bb). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for C Bebop Minor
The C Bebop Minor 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 C Bebop Minor Further
- Harmonize the C Bebop Minor scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- C Bebop Minor on Ukulele
- C Bebop Minor on Bass
- C Bebop Minor on Piano
Explore C Bebop Minor in Other Tunings
- C Bebop Minor in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- C Bebop Minor in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- C Bebop Minor in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- C Bebop Minor in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- C Bebop Minor in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- C Bebop Minor in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- C Bebop Minor in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- C Bebop Minor in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- C Bebop Minor in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- C Bebop Minor in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- C Bebop Minor in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- C Bebop Minor in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- C Bebop Minor in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- C Bebop Minor in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)