A Bebop Major Scale on Guitar — 2 Shapes to Play the Whole Neck
A Bebop Major is a symmetric scale, built from a repeating interval pattern rather than the uneven step sizes of a traditional major or minor scale — its notes are A B C# D E F F# G#, from the formula 1 2 3 4 5 b6 6 7. For this root it computes to 2 repeating shapes.
A Bebop Major Scale Notes
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 |
| 2 | B | 2 |
| 3 | C# | 3 |
| 4 | D | 4 |
| 5 | E | 5 |
| 6 | F | b6 |
| 6 | F# | 6 |
| 7 | G# | 7 |
A Bebop Major Formula
Degree formula: 1 2 3 4 5 b6 6 7
Whole – Whole – Half – Whole – Half – Half – Whole – Half
A Bebop Major on the Guitar Fretboard
The notes of Bebop Major repeat across the guitar fretboard in connected positions. Use the shape below to identify root notes, scale degrees, and neighboring shapes.
- Frets 1–7 (span 6 frets)
- Lowest note A, highest note G#
- 2 A root notes, on the E string (fret 5), G string (fret 2)
How to practice this shape
- Start on the root — A at fret 5 on the E string. Play up to the highest note in the shape, then back down, staying inside frets 1–7.
- Your hand shifts 4 times as you cross strings: E→A (-1), A→D (-1), D→G (-1), B→E (-1). Those crossings — not the notes — are what this position is really asking you to learn.
- Once it feels automatic, move on to the next of the 2 shapes — together they cover the whole neck, and the same pattern repeats from there.
Diatonic chords
These are the 8 chords built from A Bebop Major's own notes — the ones that will sound like they belong when you're writing a progression, backing a melody, or jamming in this key. The Roman numeral shows each chord's role in the key: capital for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented. Not every scale produces a clean chord on every degree — where that happens, we show it honestly instead of forcing a name that doesn't fit.
A Bebop Major vs A Major (Ionian)
A Bebop Major and A Major (Ionian) differ on 1 degree: the 6th (b6 vs 6).
A Bebop Major FAQ
A Bebop Major contains the notes A, B, C#, D, E, F, F#, G#.
A Bebop Major is built from a repeating interval pattern rather than the uneven step sizes of a major or minor scale.
A Bebop Major's formula is 1 2 3 4 5 b6 6 7.