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Scale · Reference entry

C♭ Major Bebop Scale

Major Bebop Scale · C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F♭ – G♭ – A♭♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭ · intervals P1-M2-M3-P4-P5-m6-M6-M7

The C♭ Major Bebop Scale contains the notes C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭♭, A♭, and B♭. Its step pattern is W-W-H-W-H-H-H-W. A major scale with a chromatic passing tone between 5th and 6th — bebop's eight-note major.

At the keyboard

Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb · Abb · Ab · Bb
Flashcards · Scale
Three questions on C♭ Major Bebop Scale
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The C♭ Major Bebop scale contains eight notes: C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭♭, A♭, and B♭. It follows the whole-step / half-step pattern W-W-H-W-H-H-H-W.

C♭ Major Bebop Scale Notes

DegreeNameNoteInterval
1RootC♭P1
2Major 2ndD♭M2
3Major 3rdE♭M3
4Perfect 4thF♭P4
5Perfect 5thG♭P5
♭6Minor 6thA♭♭m6
6Major 6thA♭M6
7Major 7thB♭M7
8OctaveC♭P8

Key Signature

The C♭ Major Bebop Scale doesn’t line up with a single major or minor key, so it has no standard key signature. Its notes are written with accidentals as needed.

Accidentals

C♭D♭E♭F♭G♭A♭♭A♭B♭

C♭ Major Bebop Scale — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the notes of the C♭ Major Bebop Scale on piano?
The C♭ Major Bebop Scale uses the notes C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F♭ – G♭ – A♭♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭. Play them in order from the root up to the octave, hands separately first, then together.
What notes are in the Cb Major Bebop Scale?
The Cb Major Bebop Scale contains eight notes: Cb – Db – Eb – Fb – Gb – Abb – Ab – Bb. The notes table above shows each note with its scale degree and interval from the root.
How many sharps or flats does Cb Major Bebop have?
The Cb Major Bebop Scale doesn't correspond to a single major or minor key, so it has no standard key signature. Its notes are written with accidentals as needed: C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭♭, A♭, B♭.
What is the relative minor of Cb Major Bebop?
The relative minor of Cb Major Bebop is Ab Minor. Both scales share the same key signature and the same seven notes — the difference is which note feels like "home." That's why a song in C major and a song in A minor look identical on the staff but feel completely different.
What is the parallel minor of Cb Major Bebop?
The parallel minor of Cb Major Bebop is Cb Minor. "Parallel" means same root, opposite mode — the third, sixth, and seventh are all a half-step lower in the minor version. Modal interchange (borrowing chords from the parallel key) is one of the most useful tricks in pop and jazz writing.
What does the Cb Major Bebop Scale sound like?
The Cb Major Bebop Scale has a distinctive sound shaped by its specific interval pattern. Listen to the audio playback above to hear the character on every note.

Related Tools

Circle of FifthsVisualize key relationships, relative minors, and key signatures.Chord FinderLook up any chord — see the notes, hear it, and play along.Practice RoomPlug in a MIDI keyboard and get real-time feedback on every chord and scale.Chord DrillTimed drills to build speed and recognition across all chord types.MIDI MonitorLive MIDI message stream with note names, velocity, and a scrolling staff.

References & Further Reading

The note names, intervals, fingering, and harmony on this scale page are grounded in the following sources. Public domain treatises and scores are linked to their full text; primary data is piano.org's own interval-derived reference dataset — continuously maintained and human-verified, with no fixed publication date.

  1. 1

    Prout, Ebenezer(1889)

    Harmony: Its Theory and Practice

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    Goetschius, Percy(1889)

    The Material Used in Musical Composition

    Public domain treatise
  3. 3

    Riemann, Hugo(1896)

    Harmony Simplified (English translation)

    Public domain treatise
  4. 4

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Entry reviewed and maintained by Justin Evans. Corrections are read and applied.Report an error

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