The Be-Bop Major Scale: Definition and Usage – La Scala Maggiore Be-Bop: Definizione ed Utilizzo

In this article, the purpose of which may be regarded as solely didactic, some simple strategies finalized to mastering the Be-Bop Dominant scale are suggested. Moreover, their application to jazz improvisation is herein discussed. We start from the mere definition of the scale, extended along two adjacent octaves, in ascending and descending motion. Subsequently, the metric characteristics of the scale are highlighted, proposing a performance, in descending motion, beginning at the chordal notes (tonic, modal, dominant) and at the sixth (superdominant). Moreover, by exploiting some artificis typical of the Be-Bop idiom (such as chromatisms and approaches), we show how the scale may preserve its metric peculiarities even if it is performed beginning at the remaining tensions, including the major seventh (fundamental tension). Lastly, by resorting to the concept of harmonization, we expound a simple method finalized to combining the Major Be-Bop scale with the seventh arpeggios in the corresponding key.