Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

31.11: Harmonizing the Bebop Scale

  • Page ID
    119549
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    In The Jazz Theory Book, author Mark Levine provides a method for harmonizing the bebop major scale (1^ –2^ –3^ –4^ –5^ –♯5^ –6^ –7^ –8^ ) with four voices.

    Try singing through each part—soprano, alto, tenor, then bass.

    jazz-harmonize-bebop-major.svg

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Four-Part Harmonization of the Bebop Scale in Major

    jazz-harmonize-bebop-minor.svg

    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Four-Part Harmonization of the Bebop Scale in Minor

    Notice that all of the non-tonic chords are viivii∘7 chords in various inversions.

    One hears a similar approach to harmonizing a scale (though without the fully-diminished seventh chords as passing chords) in the following example.

    /
    Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Count Basie and His Orchestra, “London Bridge is Falling Down”

    This page titled 31.11: Harmonizing the Bebop Scale is shared under a GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Robert Hutchinson via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.