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Bebop scale down
The mixolydian scale with one extra semitone between the octave and the minor seventh. Thanks to it, in swing the tones of the seventh chord land on the strong beats.
The dominant bebop scale is the mixolydian scale with one extra note, the major seventh, added as a chromatic passing tone. You sing it from the octave down: octave, major seventh, minor seventh, major sixth, fifth, fourth, major third, major second, root. The extra note is there for rhythm. In swing, the notes that land on the beat are the octave, minor seventh, fifth, major third and root, which are the tones of a dominant seventh chord. “Dah” keeps every note open and distinct.
How to do it
- Hear the count-in, then sing down with the piano on “dah”, starting from the octave, in swing.
- At the top, step down by semitones: octave, major seventh, minor seventh, major sixth. Don't slide between them.
- Give the on-beat notes a little more weight. They spell out the seventh chord.
- Watch the line fall on the roll, and hold the last root for two beats.
- Each repetition shifts the whole pattern by a semitone, then the ladder returns.
Coach's tip: Sing the three semitones in a row at the top in small steps, each one distinct. Make the on-beat eighths a little clearer – they carry the harmony.
What to watch out for
You start on the highest note, so enter it lightly instead of pushing. The four notes at the top move in semitones, and that's where pitch blurs: singers smear them into a slide, and two neighboring blocks merge into one. Aim for four small, separate steps. Don't speed up just because the line is falling, since swing needs an even tempo. If the top feels strained, lower the tempo or stop for today.
Who it's for
A level 3 exercise for singers who already sing Major scale downward comfortably and now want the sound of a bebop line. Warm up with Dominant chord 1-3-5-b7-8 first, because its notes are the ones that land on the beat here. It's not listed in a program yet, but picking the Jazz style adds it to your daily training.
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Related exercises
- Chromatic (5 notes) Each next note a semitone higher. An extreme intonation test.
- 9-note scale More than an octave – you pass through the passaggio both ways.
- Blues scale with the “blue note” The minor pentatonic plus a flattened fifth, the “blue note”. Three notes a semitone apart are the heart of blues and soul.
- Broken thirds 1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5... Trains thinking in intervals.
- Scat warm-up in swing Root, second, third, fifth and back down – lightly, on “doo-bee”. Swing rhythm: the first note of each pair is longer, the second short, as in jazz.
- Dominant chord 1-3-5-b7-8 A minor seventh between the fifth and the octave – a bluesy sound.