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E♭ bebop major scale on guitar
E♭ bebop major contains E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C♭, C, D. The added C♭ fills the gap between B♭ and C.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ♭6, 6, 7
How do you play the E♭ bebop major scale on guitar?
E♭ bebop major in box 1 runs from fret 1 to fret 4, 17 notes across 6 strings, from F on the low E string at fret 1 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the D string at fret 1 and the B string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 3, 4 | F, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 2, 3 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3 | E♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3, 4 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (B) | 1, 3, 4 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 3, 4 | F, G, A♭ |
Box 2 · frets 3–6
E♭ bebop major in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 18 notes across 6 strings, from G on the low E string at fret 3 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5, 6 | F, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 4, 5 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 6 | D, E♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
Box 3 · frets 6–9
E♭ bebop major in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 16 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to C on the high e string at fret 8. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the G string at fret 8.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 7, 8 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8 | E♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8 | D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 8, 9 | F, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 7, 8 | B♭, C♭, C |
Box 4 · frets 8–11
E♭ bebop major in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 17 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the low E string at fret 11, the G string at fret 8 and the high e string at fret 11.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 10, 11 | F, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 9, 10 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10 | E♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 11 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
Box 5 · frets 11–14
E♭ bebop major in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 14 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F on the high e string at fret 13. The root falls on the low E string at fret 11, the D string at fret 13 and the high e string at fret 11.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13 | E♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13 | D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13 | G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 12, 13 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13 | E♭, F |
Why it sounds like that
Start with E♭ major (E♭–F–G–A♭–B♭–C–D) and insert C♭ as the ♭6. This creates an eight-note scale that aligns chord tones with downbeats. Compare with E♭ major to hear the added note.
When to use it
Use it over E♭ major or E♭7 chords in bebop and hard bop. The C♭ adds a bluesy color against the fifth. Try it on E♭ major or E♭ 5th progressions.
Which position to practise
Start with Box 1. It covers frets 1–4 with the root on string 4, fret 1, giving access to low E♭ lines.
Common questions
What notes are in E♭ bebop major?
E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C♭, C, D. The added note is C♭, the ♭6. It sits between B♭ and C. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords fit E♭ bebop major?
E♭ major and E♭7 chords are the best fits. The scale also works over E♭6 and E♭9 chords. The C♭ note adds a passing color.
How does E♭ bebop major differ from E♭ major?
E♭ bebop major has an extra C♭ note. E♭ major has seven notes; bebop major has eight. The extra note makes lines fall on chord tones.