D Bebop Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagramAdvanced
What chords fit over D Bebop?
Open D Bebop HarmonizerD Bebop Scale — Notes and Intervals
The D Bebop scale is the dominant bebop scale, an eight-note extension of the Mixolydian mode. On Guitar, the notes are D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#. By adding a chromatic passing tone, it ensures that the most important notes land on the strong beats, allowing jazz players to create fluid, professional-sounding lines. Commonly used in Jazz, Bebop, Swing, Hard Bop. Notable players include Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson. Use over dominant 7th chords. The added passing tone ensures that the root, 3rd, 5th, and b7 fall on downbeats during eighth-note runs — the 'trick' that makes bebop sound professional.
Notes: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5P, 6M, 7m, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8
Formula: W-W-H-W-W-H-H-H
Number of notes: 8
Musical Character
Adds a chromatic passing tone (natural 7) to Mixolydian, creating an 8-note scale where chord tones always land on strong beats. This is the secret to authentic bebop phrasing.
Genres & Notable Artists
Genres: Jazz, Bebop, Swing, Hard Bop
Notable players: Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson
How to Use the D Bebop Scale
Use over dominant 7th chords. The added passing tone ensures that the root, 3rd, 5th, and b7 fall on downbeats during eighth-note runs — the 'trick' that makes bebop sound professional.
Origin & Background
Codified during the bebop revolution of the 1940s by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The chromatic addition solves the rhythmic displacement problem of 7-note scales in 4/4 time.
How to Play D Bebop on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 10 on the 6th (low E) to find your D 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 D Bebop scale contains 2 sharps (F#, C#). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the D Bebop scale ascending and descending at 100 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (D-F#, E-G) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.
Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on D to let the characteristic intervals of the Bebop scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in swing contexts.
Guitar Tips
Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the D Bebop scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently. Aim for a swinging quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.
Related Scales
Bebop is the Mixolydian with added chromatic passing tone (natural 7th). View D Mixolydian scale
The D Bebop scale contains 8 notes (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, C#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for D Bebop
The D Bebop 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 D Bebop Further
- Harmonize the D Bebop scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- D Bebop on Ukulele
- D Bebop on Bass
- D Bebop on Piano
Explore D Bebop in Other Tunings
- D Bebop in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- D Bebop in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- D Bebop in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- D Bebop in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- D Bebop in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- D Bebop in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- D Bebop in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- D Bebop in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- D Bebop in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- D Bebop in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- D Bebop in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- D Bebop in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- D Bebop in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- D Bebop in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)