C bebop dominant scale
C bebop dominant is C D E F G A B♭ B. Bebop dominant: Mixolydian with an added major seventh passing tone, so chord tones fall on strong beats in eighth-note lines.
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7
- Steps
- W W H W W H H H
- Notes
- 8
Notes and degrees
The C bebop dominant scale has eight notes: C D E F G A B♭ B. Each degree is named by its distance from the tonic, C.
| Degree | Note | Interval above C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P1 | ||
| 2 | M2 | ||
| 3 | M3 | ||
| 4 | P4 | ||
| 5 | P5 | ||
| 6 | M6 | ||
| 7 | m7 | ||
| 8 | M7 |
On the piano
Every key of the scale is lit in its own colour. Click one to hear it.
On the guitar
Every C scale tone on the first twelve frets in standard tuning. The tonic is ringed. Click a dot to hear the note.
What it sounds like
The bebop dominant scale follows the pattern whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half, half, half. It is the Mixolydian scale with a major seventh added between the flat seventh and the octave, so it has eight notes and a run of two half steps at the top. The added note is a passing tone. In a steady eighth-note line it falls on an offbeat, which leaves the chord tones of the dominant chord on the strong beats. The sound is dominant and smooth, with a quick move into the tonic.
Where you hear it
Bebop dominant is a jazz scale for dominant seventh chords, named for the bebop style of the 1940s, when eighth-note lines were central. Players use it over the dominant in II-V-I progressions, and over dominant chords in blues and standards. Its eight-note structure is practiced in lines played in steady eighth notes. Students of bebop phrasing often drill it at tempo. Later jazz styles, including hard bop and mainstream modern playing, continue to use it.
How it is built
The bebop dominant scale is a Mixolydian scale with a major seventh added, so it has eight notes rather than seven. On C, it is C D E F G A B♭ B. Its chord tones are the four notes of a dominant seventh chord, C E G B♭, and the added B turns C E G into a major seventh chord. The added note is a passing tone between B♭ and C. It is derived from Mixolydian by adding a note, so it is not a rotation of a seven-note set.
Other C scales
- C major
- C natural minor
- C harmonic minor
- C melodic minor
- C Dorian
- C Phrygian
- C Lydian
- C Mixolydian
- C Locrian
- C major pentatonic
- C minor pentatonic
- C blues
- C whole-tone
- C diminished (whole–half)
- C diminished (half–whole)
- C Phrygian dominant
- C Lydian dominant
- C altered
- C double harmonic major
- C Hungarian minor
How to practise it
Play C bebop dominant, C D E F G A B♭ B, ascending and descending in steady eighth notes. Start the line on a chord tone, C, E, G, or B♭, on the downbeat, and treat the added B as a passing tone. Over a G7 vamp, play G bebop dominant, G A B C D E F F♯, landing on the chord tones G, B, D, and F on the beats.
Further reading
- Chord-Scale Theory Explained: Which Scale Fits Which ChordJazz & Popular Harmony · 7 min
- The ii V I Progression in Major, Minor and Jazz StylesHarmony · 6 min
Questions
What are the notes of the C bebop dominant scale?
The C bebop dominant scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B♭, B. Written ascending it returns to C an octave higher.
What is the formula for the C bebop dominant scale?
The formula is 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7 measured from the major scale. As steps that is W, W, H, W, W, H, H, H (W is a whole step, H a half step).
What is the bebop dominant scale?
It is the Mixolydian scale with a major seventh added, giving eight notes. On C it is C D E F G A B♭ B. The added note is a passing tone between the flat seventh and the octave. Players use it over dominant seventh chords in bebop and later jazz improvisation.
Why add a seventh to the Mixolydian scale?
The added major seventh turns the scale into an eight-note line. In steady eighth-note patterns, the added note falls on an offbeat, which keeps the chord tones of a dominant seventh chord on the strong beats. The result is a smooth line where the passing note moves the phrase without disturbing the chord.
How is bebop dominant different from Mixolydian?
Mixolydian has seven notes, and bebop dominant has eight. The added note is a major seventh, a half step below the octave. On C, Mixolydian is C D E F G A B♭ and bebop dominant is C D E F G A B♭ B. Both share the dominant seventh chord, so the only difference is the added passing tone.