The Bebop Scale: Everything You Need To Know! 

Great lesson."the bassist is already playing the root." I like you. I'm subscribing.

I think the bebop scale has more to do with teaching guys that came from Rock and Metal like myself. After some 2 years of study I came to a conclusion. If you think chord tones and extensions instead of scales, you'll have a ease to play the jazz standards, and make it sound jazzy. The truth is, there are no wrong notes if you know how to play them in the right places. So just free yourself and try to do experiments based on what you already know.

I have used chromatic passing or lead tones for years, I was introduced to the concept in about 1970 in HS jazz band. I never heard the term "BeBop Scale" until much later. I think this is a very valuable unpacking of said scale and it's underlying and much broader concepts. Thank You...! B-)

2:35 is his best emotions when giving tips 🍻

Bebop scale is part of bebop learning method. It's not a scale in the usual sense - mixolydian is the scale. With the bebop scale you supposed to learn it starting on every note, including extensions and upbeats. When you can run the scales (there's a major bebop etc) over the changes, you can use that to insert licks, deflections, arpeggios, to create new lines and resolutions at different points in the scale. When you build up enough vocabulary, the bebop scale fades away and you're just playing bebop.

I’ve been studying bebop guitar for a couple of years and there was never something like a bebop scale. Everything goes down to understanding the grades of each scale and knowing how to play with them. Thanks for the lesson!

One of your best videos yet.

Nice! A very clear view of the structure. Liked the observations you made regarding chord tones on the beat and the vertical vs horizontal points of view.

Wow !!! Very useful to know. Thanks so much.

Great lesson, with great foundational information and practical applications. To my fellow jazz guitar students, I am truly enjoying Richie’s method he mentions where without thinking of it, by playing the arpeggios over the changes with the various approach notes, I am in fact playing the key portions of the bebop scale by way of passing tones, and it does sound pretty cool! Thanks Richie.

Thank you Great teacher Richie Zellon

Very clearly explained sir, thank you!

Great stuff Richie..... thanks!

Thank you. I'm beginning to absorb it.

Great lesson like always. Saludos!

The secret of phrasing and theory of modes. Thanks to your video lesson

Richie, good work!

Quite educational indeed.

nailed it... barry doesn't refer to the bebop scale.

Great video 📸

Good job explaining Bebop Richie! I've been looking into info for Bebop since I have a gig coming up in which the Organizer/Producer of the concert Roger Glenn Vibraphonist/flutist/sax is honoring Vibraphonist Terry Gibbs (he's 97). Roger does these type of concerts every two years or so and features 4 Vibes players (including himself) with and Allstar rhythm section. I started by reading a Jazz theory book by Mark Levine, whom I had playing in 4 tracks on my CD album 2012. I had the book for the longest time and just opened it and voila there's a reference of the Bebop scale with the half step between the root octave and the 7th, that can be played over a ll-V. Also mentions the half step between the 5 and 6 degree of the scale on a major and minor scales. Mark Levine passed away recently so I'm honoring him too by playing his song "Linda Chicana". Mark Levine and Roger Glenn along with Robb Fisher who is going to be playing bass in the concert were part of the Cal Tjader group that recorded on 1981 Grammy Award Winning album "La Onda Va Bien" - which got me interested in Latin Jazz as I was studying music here in San Francisco. Good connecting with you here, old friend. God Bless.

Nice lesson and well explained to further cement something that seems complicated at first, but really isn't. I've probably been using it subconsciously for years because I solo using a lot of chromaticism to begin with. I just think about the arpeggio chord tones and important color tones, so I think of the 6 and 9, of course being the best. Stay away from the root and 5th and just blow over them as passing tones. Same with the use of the major 7 in the Bebop scale. I just think of it as another color extension to hint at in your chops while you're improvising. It just takes years of practicing to get it together to where you're happy with using that approach in you're soloing.

You can start with the dominant but then apply that half step movement to the other modes. Then you have the major or ionian bebop with the half step between five and six,Ietc. If you remove the root you'll have the Dorian Bebop and then keep on until all bebop modes are acheived.

Enjoy video's I personally use the 3 versions of the soul scale, full, Maj, and minor, they are more Melodic.

I came from "Cowboy Bebop" awesome intro called "Tank!"

You are a marvelous teacher. :)

Amazing 💙👌 also l heard coltrane using a bebop scale in the recording oleo on the album relaxing with miles davis quintet, however l really don't think he though of it the way we did. I think it was more to go to a specific note or place he wanted

So is there any use in memorizing the modes of this eight note scale? I just figured them out and have the impression that it might be easier and more spontaneous to play a chromatic line on the less important notes of each subsequent mode. The Lydian has an augmented third for example...but I sometimes play the sharp ninth or the flat thirteenth.. Thanks for the great lesson

Wes Montgomery was a bebop scale monster.

If anyone wants a secret to learn Richies material much quicker than he teaches on his video? It's easy. Go to settings and change the speed to 1.5 times the speed. He is still super easy to understand and you just learned the same material and saved yourself 30% of your valuable time. Plus the guitar doesn't change key just BPMs. You are very welcome. 😎

13:20 😎

play all the notes you have over a dominant chord !!!

Great lesson Richie. Do you have an example of using the b9 Bebop Scale? I've gone back to work on this. I discovered that when starting in the b7 of the V chord to the I, you can't use the Maj7. Otherwise you won't end up on a chord tone of the I. Example F7- starting done on the b7: Eb-D-C-Bb-A-Gb-F-Eb-D ending on C 9th of Bbmaj7. Omitting the E natural. Just wondering you thoughts on this, Thank you

the mixolydian pattern backwards is the aeolian pattern. so do we play aeolian descending and ascending?

The annoying thing about the bebop “scale” is that it seems like half the educators use #5/b6 as the chromatic tone and half use the flat 7 leading tone. I have always struggled with this as a concept.

I used to find modes very difficult. But D Dorian, E Phrygian, F lydian, G mixylydian, A Aolian, B Locrian. are extremely easy D to D using C notes. Is D E F G A B C D.. D Dorian. Using the C scale for learning is easy on the piano. But looking at notes of D Dorian and comparing to D Major or D Ionian is a choice D E F# G A B C# D. D Major D E F G A B C D D Dorian Scale Degrees below of D Dorian compared to D Major. 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 (1or 8)

Check out Donna Lee, major bebop scale starting on the root when playing the melody.

I think bebop scale is tupid. Isnt it basically a major scale with an added flat seventh as a passing tone? I mean thats how i always thought of it.

Thank you. Still giving lessons?

i th ught it was a maj scale wiith a flat 6th passing tone

G Lydian Dominant Bebop scale. So if understand this correctly. G Lydian is the 4th mode of D Major. (D E F# G A B C# D), being D Maj. G A B C# D E F# G ( G Lydian)... So descending Lydian dominant. would be G F# F E D C# B A G.

Wrong notes when practicing can give you ideas. Just keep the amp down.

Too theoretical for me. I cant pass the test I think. Tnx

Maybe a good lesson, but as always, WAY too much talking before getting to the point. Richie, ist this really worth spending 21 minutes over? I concluded NO