A flat Bebop Dominant Scale

1Composition: what it contains

A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – G

Formula

1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7

Steps

W – W – H – W – W – H – H – H

Number of notes

8

Sharps and flats

5 ♭

Also called

bebop scale, Mixolydian with added major seventh, dominant bebop scale

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

Tip: click any note, key or fret to hear it. Orange = root.

3Indications: what it is used for

Mixolydian plus the major seventh as a passing note (1-2-3-4-5-6-♭7-7). It is played over dominant seventh chords in bebop, swing, hard bop and jazz blues, and over the ii–V pair (since ii and V share the same parent scale). Played descending from a chord tone on a downbeat in continuous eighth notes, the chromatic step keeps the chord tones (1, 3, 5, ♭7) on the beats, which is why it sounds so idiomatic in fast swing tunes.

4Dosage: how to practise it

Ten minutes daily at 100–200 BPM with a swing feel. Start descending from the root on beat one in steady eighth notes and check that every downbeat falls on 1, ♭7, 5 or 3. Then start from the third, fifth and seventh. Practise ii–V–I lines combining a ii arpeggio with descending bebop runs. On guitar, use positions that keep the chromatic step on one string. On piano, use the right hand for lines and left-hand shells (3 and ♭7). Increase the tempo by 8 BPM per week.

5Warnings and common mistakes

The added major seventh is a passing note only: landing on it on a strong beat over a dominant chord sounds wrong. The scale works best descending in eighth notes starting on a chord tone; starting off the beat shifts the chromatic note onto downbeats. Do not confuse it with the major bebop scale (major scale plus ♯5/♭6). Over altered dominants, the natural ninth and thirteenth clash; switch to altered or diminished there.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Chords that fit this scale

A♭ A♭sus2 A♭sus4 A♭6 A♭7 A♭maj7 A♭7sus4 A♭add9 A♭6/9 A♭9 A♭maj9 A♭11 A♭13

7Other presentations available

The same scale from every note

• C Bebop Dominant Scale
• D flat Bebop Dominant Scale
• D Bebop Dominant Scale
• E flat Bebop Dominant Scale
• E Bebop Dominant Scale
• F Bebop Dominant Scale
• F sharp Bebop Dominant Scale
• G Bebop Dominant Scale
• A Bebop Dominant Scale
• B flat Bebop Dominant Scale
• B Bebop Dominant Scale

Other scales from the same note

• A flat Major Scale
• G sharp Natural Minor Scale
• A flat Harmonic Minor Scale
• A flat Melodic Minor Scale
• G sharp Dorian Mode
• G sharp Phrygian Mode
• A flat Lydian Mode
• A flat Mixolydian Mode
• G sharp Locrian Mode
• A flat Major Pentatonic Scale
• G sharp Minor Pentatonic Scale
• G sharp Blues Scale
• A flat Major Blues Scale
• A flat Whole Tone Scale
• A flat Half-Whole Diminished Scale
• G sharp Whole-Half Diminished Scale
• G sharp Phrygian Dominant Scale
• A flat Hungarian Minor Scale
• A flat Lydian Dominant Scale
• G sharp Altered Scale
• A flat Double Harmonic Major Scale