E♭ bebop melodic minor runs E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, C, D. The added major 6th smooths the ♭6–7 leap for even eighth-note lines.
E♭ bebop melodic minor runs E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, C, D. The added major 6th smooths the ♭6–7 leap for even eighth-note lines.
E♭ bebop melodic minor adds a major 6th to E♭ harmonic minor, placing C between C♭ and D. The scale keeps the harmonic minor’s augmented 5th and major 7th, so it still contains a tritone and a leading tone. Compare it with E♭ harmonic minor to hear the added passing tone.
E♭ bebop melodic minor fits E♭ minor and E♭ 5th chords, especially in jazz lines where the major 6th adds forward motion. Use it over E♭ minor or E♭ 5th in bebop and swing styles.
Practise Box 1 first: the root sits on string 4, fret 1, and the shape covers frets 0–4. It sets up Box 2 for higher positions.
E♭ bebop melodic minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 4, 20 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 2, 4 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 2, 3 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 0, 1, 3, 4 | D, E♭, F, G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3, 4 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (B) | 0, 1, 3, 4 | C♭, C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 2, 4 | F, G♭, A♭ |
E♭ bebop melodic minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 16 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to C♭ on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | C♭, C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6, 7 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
E♭ bebop melodic minor in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 17 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 7, 8 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8, 9 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8 | D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 7, 9 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 7, 8 | B♭, C♭, C |
E♭ bebop melodic minor 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 9, 11 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 9, 10 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10, 11 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
E♭ bebop melodic minor in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 16 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13, 14 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13 | D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 12, 13 | B♭, C♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13, 14 | E♭, F, G♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
E♭ bebop melodic minor contains E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, C, and D. The added C is the major 6th that creates the bebop passing tone. The scale has eight notes instead of seven. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
E♭ bebop melodic minor fits E♭ minor and E♭ 5th chords. The major 6th and major 7th add colour without clashing with the minor third. Use it over minor vamps in jazz and fusion.
E♭ bebop melodic minor adds C between C♭ and D. E♭ harmonic minor has only seven notes and lacks the major 6th. The added note creates a chromatic run for smoother lines.