10 Jazz Scales You Should Know (Part 1)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by freejazzlessons

This is a guest post by Leeds College of Music Professor Matt Warnock

Musicians love scales. We really do!

They sit nicely on our instruments, they are easy to play over changes, and many of
us have been playing them for years and years.

Early on in our development most of us probably learned to play the the major
scale, maybe it�s modes, and possibly the minor blues scales.

This is usually passable enough for classical, pop, and some rock songs.

But There�s More

Unfortunately, we are often stuck when we begin to explore scales within the
context of jazz music.

Herbie Hancock, Charlie Parker, and Wes Montgomery aren�t just going up and down
major scales right?

How do we get the sounds we hear our favorite jazz musicians playing?

In the first part of this article series, we will explore 5 essential scales that
every jazz musician should check out.

This will help you expand your playing beyond minor pentatonic/blues scales and the
modes of the major scale.

Now, no scale will make you sound �jazzy� on its own. But, a thorough knowledge of
the scales below will allow you to properly navigate many of the common changes and
progressions found in the standard jazz repertoire.

Now, on to the scales!

1. Dominant Bebop Scale

Interval Structure: R M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 m7 M7 R

Application

The Dominant Bebop Scale is one of the most commonly used and important scales in
the jazz musician�s bag of tricks.

The scale is built by taking the Mixolydian scale, the 5th mode of the major scale,
and adding in a passing note between the b7 and R to produce an eight-note scale.

If you�ve started to check out transcriptions or licks by Charlie Parker, Pat

Martino, George Benson or Mike Stern, you�ll have come across this scale in the
lines of these great players.

When applying this scale or licks derived from this scale, you can use it to
improvise over a dominant 7th chord, such as any 7th chord in a Blues progression.

Or even the V7 chord in a iim7-V7-Imaj7 progression.

(For more examples of this scale, you should also check out this dominant bebop
scale video lesson and this bebop lick video lesson .

Dominant 7th chords are found in many tunes in the jazz repertoire and some would
say the 7th chord is the foundation of the traditional jazz sound.

So, learning the Dominant Bebop Scale will provide and essential improvisation tool
for any jazz musician.

2. Minor Bebop Scale

Interval Structure: R M2 m3 P4 P5 M6 m7 M7 R

Application

Just like its cousin the Dominant Bebop Scale, the Minor Bebop Scale is derived
from a mode of the major scale.

In this case, we are taking a Dorian mode, the second mode of the major scale, and
adding in a passing note between the b7 and R to produce an eight-note scale.

The Minor Bebop Scale can be used to improvise in many different musical
situations, such as the m7 chords in a minor blues progression, or the iim7 chord
in a iim7-V7-Imaj7 progression.

Because of this, it is an important scale to master as you will be able to apply it

to many of the jazz standards you already know.

You�ll also be to apply it to ones that you�ll learn as you continue your
development as a jazz musician.

How Do You Practice Minor Bebop Scales?

A great way to practice this scale is to set up a iim7-V7 vamp in one or more keys.

Then, practice improvising using the Minor Bebop Scale over the iim7 chord,
followed by the Dominant Bebop Scale over the V7 chord.

Being able to apply both of these scales to your improvising will go a long way in
building up your jazz guitar vocabulary as well as helping you outline chord
changes at the same time.

3. Major Bebop Scale

Interval Structure: R M2 M3 P4 P5 m6 M6 M7 R

Application

To finish up the major-scale based Bebop scales, we have the Major Bebop Scale.

Just like the previous two Bebop scales, this scale is based on the first mode of
the major scale, with an added note between the fifth and major 6th intervals to
produce an eight-note scale.
This scale can be used to improvise over any Maj7 chord, using your ears and tastes
as yourguide as to when and where you want to apply this sound.

It does sound particularly good over the Imaj7 chord in a iim7-V7-Imaj7 progression
though.

(Here�s a bonus video lesson that demonstrates the major bebop scale)

How Do You Practice Major Bebop Scales?

A good exercise to work on this, and the previous two Bebop Scales, is to work up a
iim7-V7-Imaj7 vamp in one or more keys.

If you are just beginning to explore these sounds then you might want to make each
chord longer that one bar.

Maybe start with four bars of iim7, four bars of V7 and 8 bars of Imaj7, then work
your way down to one bar each from there.

As you improvise over these chords, use the Minor Bebop Scale to blow over the iim7
chord, the Dominant Bebop Scale over the V7 chord and the Major Bebop Scale over
the Imaj7.

This will help you to apply these different Bebop sounds in your solos, as well as
learn how to outline each change in a ii-V-I at the same time.

4. Harmonic Minor Bebop Scale

Interval Structure: R m2 M3 P4 P5 m6 m7 M7 R

Application

The Harmonic Minor Bebop Scale is similar to the first three scales we looked at,
in that it is an eight-note scale with a passing tone.

In this case it is built by adding a note between the b7and root of the 5th mode of
the Harmonic Minor Scale.

Because this scale is built off of the Harmonic Minor Scale, it can be used to
improvise over the iim7b5 and V7alt chords of a iim7b5-V7alt-im7 progression.

Because we tend to spend more time practicing our major key progressions, having a
good grasp of this scale can go a long way in bringing our minor key soloing up to
the same level.

Tips For Practicing The Harmonic Minor Bebop Scale

When practicing this scale, you can set up a iim7b5-V7alt-im7 vamp, and use this
scale to improvise over the iim7b5 and V7alt chords.

Start from the the root of the V7alt chord over both.

So, if you are improvising over a Dm7b5-G7alt progression, you would play the G
Harmonic Minor Bebop Scale over both of those chords.

Then, when you get to the im7 chord, you could improvise using the Minor Bebop
Scale, training your ears and fingers to mix these two sounds together.

For a number of great licks using this scale, check out Clifford Brown�s solo on �A
Night in Tunisia.� Clifford was a master with this sound and his solo on this tune
is chalk full of great ideas on how to blow using this scale.

( On a related note if you love Clifford then you should also check out this
Clifford Brown jazz lick)

5. Lydian Dominant Scale

Interval Structure: R M2 M3 A4 P5 M6 m7 R

Application

When exploring the Melodic Minor Scale and its various modes, one of the first
scales most jazz musicians stumble upon is the 4th mode. This scaleo is actually
known as the Lydian Dominant Scale.

Because it doesn�t contain a natural 4, such as the Mixolydian scale does, this
scale has a brighter, more dissonant sound as compared to its major-scale
counterpart, giving more grit to any line using this scale in an improvised solo.

The Lydian Dominant Scale is used to improvise over a 7th chord, or more
specifically, a 7#11 chord.

To check out this scale in action, read through Sonny Rollins� classic blues �Blues
Seven,� which uses the Lydian Dominant Scale for each chord in the progression.

As well, check out the solos of Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino George Benson and Jake
Langley.

All of these great players frequently use this scale in their improvising.

How Do You Practice The Lydian Dominant Scale?

To practice this scale, you can put on a 7th chord vamp and then improvise using
this scale, the Mixolydian mode and even the Dominant Bebop Scale.

As you move between these different scales in your lines, notice how each new mode
creates a new sonic color that is slightly different
from the other two.

Having a strong command over how each of these dominant 7th chord scales sound will
go a long way in allowing you to use them in your solos in a natural and organic
fashion.