Bebop Songwriting Advice

You want lines that sound like they were spit out by lightning. You want a head so hooky the audience hums it on the way home. You want solos that tell a story and a tune that survives being reharmonized by people who count like mathematicians. This guide gives you the real tools to write authentic bebop material that musicians actually want to play and audiences accidentally memorize.

This is not theory class dressed up in velvet. This is a crash course in practical craft. We will cover how to build a head, how to write solos that sing, how to create contrafacts which are new melodies over classic chord progressions, how to write lyrics for fast jazz lines, and how to arrange for a small combo so the tune breathes. We will explain every term and acronym like you are reading your favorite annotated playlist. You will get drills, real life scenarios, and the kind of jokes that make your practice session slightly less soul crushing.

What Is Bebop and Why Does It Matter for Songwriting

Bebop is a style of jazz from the 1940s that emphasizes fast tempos, intricate melodies, complex chord changes, and improvisation that outlines harmony in clever ways. It changed the game because soloists started treating chord changes as a landscape to navigate in real time. For songwriters the lesson is clear. Write heads that offer surprises and opportunities for improvisation. Write progressions that invite voice leading and substitutions. Give players something to chew on and they will come back for seconds.

Real life scenario

• You write a head that solos well. The saxophonist in the band records your tune and posts a clip. You suddenly have other players asking for the chart. That is how scenes grow.

Key Vocabulary and Simple Definitions

We explain every term in plain language so you are not left guessing.

• Head The composed melody of a jazz tune. It is the thing the band plays at the top and usually again at the end. Think of it as the song's title sentence.
• Contrafact A new melody written over the chord progression of an existing song. This was a favorite trick in bebop to make new tunes without creating new harmony from scratch. Example Ornithology uses the changes of How High the Moon.
• ii to V to I progression Pronounced two to five to one. A very common three chord progression that moves from a minor chord to a dominant chord to the tonic. It powers most jazz phrases and is a playground for substitutions.
• Guide tones The third and seventh of a chord. These notes often define a chord's function. If your melody outlines guide tones, soloists will find the harmony easy to trace.
• Comping Short for accompanying. It is the chordal rhythm playing by piano or guitar that supports the soloist. Good comping listens and reacts.
• Vocalese Writing lyrics for an improvised solo and singing them verbatim. It is a very specific type of lyric writing that requires careful prosody and stamina.
• Bebop scale A common scalar tool where you add a chromatic passing tone to an existing scale to make the eighth note phrasing line up with the swing pulse. We will explain it with examples below.

Head Writing: How to Create a Bebop Friendly Melody

Great bebop heads do two things at once. They say something memorable and they create clear targets for improvisers. Here is how to do it without sounding like you are trying too hard.

Start from a small motif

Pick a two or three note idea and work it in different ways. Think of it like a character in a short film. Give it a problem then move it through the progression.

Real life scenario

• You are on a subway ride and hum two notes over the noise. Expand those two notes into a four bar phrase and record it on your phone. That becomes the opening motif of your head.

Use chord tones at phrase endings

Bebop players like to land on chord tones at the ends of phrases. The third and seventh of the chord are especially helpful because they show the harmonic function. Compose short phrases that end on these guide tones every two bars. This gives soloists a map and keeps the melody feeling grounded.

Add chromatic approach and enclosure

Chromatic approach notes are single notes that move into a target note from a half step above or below. Enclosure is when you play the note above and the note below the target and then resolve to the target. These techniques make lines sound jazzy without needing complicated theory. Use them tastefully to add surprise to a melodic line.

Example motif treatment

• Motif A: G to B
• Motif A variant: A chromatic approach from A sharp into B then resolve to D
• Result: The listener remembers the shape and the improviser sees the target everywhere.

Think in phrases not measures

Write a melody that breathes like language. If you force a phrase to fit an exact measure without regard for natural accents the melody will feel mechanical. Allow one beat ahead or behind the bar line for phrase shape. This creates the forward momentum bebop thrives on.

Harmony Tricks That Make Soloing Fun

Chord progressions in bebop are a living thing. Use substitutions and passing chords to make the harmonic movement more interesting while keeping a clear structure for soloists.

Tritone substitution explained

Tritone substitution swaps a dominant chord with the dominant chord a tritone away. For example in a C major context you can replace a G7 chord with a D sharp seven also known as E flat seven. Both chords share the same tritone interval between their third and seventh and they therefore resolve similarly to C major. The substitution gives a smooth bass motion and a fresh color.

Real life scenario

• You are playing with a pianist who loves reharmonizing. They toss in a tritone sub in the turnaround and the soloist grins because the changed root movement creates a new melodic line to chase. Your head needs to account for that possibility or welcome it.

Passing dominant chains

Use quick dominant chords between stable points to add motion. Walk down the cycle of fifths for one or two bars. This is a common bebop device that creates tension and resolution in a short space. It is perfect for turnarounds at the end of a form.

Diminished passing chords

Use diminished seventh chords as approach chords to dominant or tonic chords. They are symmetric and fit almost anywhere. A diminished chord a half step above a target dominant functions as a chromatic approach and sounds smooth when voiced with guide tones moving softly.

Scales and Lines That Sound Like Jazz

Your melodic vocabulary comes from combining arpeggios, scale fragments, chromatic enclosures, and scalar runs that outline harmony. Here are practical building blocks.

The bebop dominant scale

Take the mixolydian scale and add a chromatic passing tone between the flat seventh and the root. In C this would be C D E F G A B flat and B natural before resolving. That extra note lets eight note lines land on down beats in a way that matches the swing pulse.

Arpeggio plus approach note pattern

Play a simple arpeggio of a target chord then add an approach note before the next arpeggio. Example over a D7 chord play D F sharp C then approach G with an A sharp resolving to B minor chord tones. Patterns like this map harmony and sound intentional in a solo.

Target guide tone sequences

Write lines that move from one chord third to the next chord seventh. These guide tone lines create voice leading and offer strong melodic points. They are easy for listeners to follow even when the tempo is fast.

Contrafacts: Steal the Changes and Make Them Yours

Contrafact is the bebop equivalent of sampling a beat and writing a new rap over it. You take a common progression and write a new melody that fits the chords. This was how many bebop tunes were born. Contrafacts are a brilliant songwriting shortcut because the harmony already works.

How to write a contrafact

1. Pick a progression you love. Rhythm changes or a jazz standard form work great.
2. Write a short motif and move it through the progression using guide tones and chromatic approaches.
3. Vary shape between chorus one and chorus two so the head does not feel repetitive.
4. Test the melody by singing it over the chord changes slowly. Fix any moments where the guide tone is unclear.

Real life scenario

• You write a contrafact over Rhythm Changes. The band plays it at jam night. A soloist recognizes the changes and drops a famous lick in the middle. The room roars because everyone hears the reference and your melody still sounds fresh. That is cultural electricity.

Write Lyrics for Bebop Heads and Solos

Bebop is mostly instrumental but it offers fertile ground for lyrics. Two main approaches exist. One writes lyrics for the head. The other writes lyrics to a solo which is called vocalese.

Writing lyrics for a head

Heads often move quickly so keep syllables tight and stress natural. Map the lyric syllables to the melody with prosody in mind. Prosody simply means the natural stress of language matching the strong beats of the music. If a stressed word falls on a weak beat the line will feel wrong.

Practical tip

• Speak the melody out loud like you are telling a story. Mark which words naturally get stressed. Put those words on the strong beats of the melody.

Vocalese and how to not die trying

Vocalese sets words to an improvised solo exactly as it was played. It requires surgical prosody work and stamina. James Moody recorded a sax solo that Eddie Jefferson later turned into words and then King Pleasure popularized the style. Do not attempt a 32 bar fast tempo gospel story if you cannot phrase like a human skipping stones across a lake.

Steps to write vocalese

1. Transcribe the solo. Every note and rhythm.
2. Map the rhythmic groupings to natural speech units. Find where a breath would make sense and respect it.
3. Write lyrics that match the contour and emphasis. Keep sentences short and punchy.
4. Practice slowly with a metronome. Build speed gradually. Learn to use small mouth consonants that do not kill air support.

Arranging for a Small Combo

Bebop tunes often live with trumpet, sax, piano, bass, and drums. Simpler combos work too. Arrange so the head is clear and the solo sections are supported not crowded.

Play the head with unison horns or harmonized voicing

Decide whether the horns play the head in unison for punch or in harmony for color. Harmonized heads sound lush but make guide tones less obvious. Use harmonies when you want a color change between the head and the solo section.

Intro ideas that set the mood

• A motif played alone by piano then answered by horns gives space and creates anticipation.
• A drum intro that snaps into the head can make the arrival jolt the listener awake. Keep it short.
• Open with a bass vamp to establish the groove before the head. This works great in a slower bebop ballad.

Comping and dynamics for solos

Pianists should comp with variety. Sparse comping leaves space for the soloist. Busy comping adds energy. Communicate with small cues. Make the first chorus quieter so the solo builds. Add fills on the turnaround to help the soloist land phrases elegantly.

Practical Exercises to Write Bebop Better

These drills will make you dangerous in a musical way.

Motif expansion drill

1. Pick two notes. Play them in every rhythmic placement across four bars.
2. Every chorus change one note by step or chromatic approach.
3. By the end you will have a head built from one small idea.

Guide tone melody drill

1. Take a ii to V to I progression in C. That is D minor seven to G seven to C major seven.
2. Write a four bar melody that moves only between the third and seventh of each chord.
3. Sing it with a metronome. If it sings well the soloists will love you.

Contrafact speed sketch

1. Pick a 32 bar standard or rhythm changes.
2. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
3. Write a melody that repeats elements but changes its ending each chorus.
4. Focus on motif, not complexity.

Vocalese micro practice

1. Transcribe two bars of a solo phrase.
2. Write words that match the rhythm and contour.
3. Sing slowly until the words and melody are one thing.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

• Too many notes Fix by choosing the five most important notes and writing around them. Space is as musical as notes.
• Vague melodic targets Fix by ending phrases on chord tones every two bars.
• Overcomplicated reharmonization Fix by making sure substitutions serve the melody not distract from it.
• Lyrics that read well but do not sing Fix by reading lines aloud at tempo and swapping words until the stress matches the beat.

How to Finish a Bebop Tune Fast

1. Lock the head. Record a simple demo with piano, bass, and drums. The demo is your reference for solos and arranging choices.
2. Write a compact lead sheet. Melody above staff, chord symbols above measures, and a short arrangement note for intro and endings.
3. Play the tune with friends. Listen for places that confuse improvisers. If the guitarist asks what chord is happening in bar 9 you need clearer guide tones or a simpler voicing.
4. Finalize the chart and record a clean rough take. Upload to a shared drive and drop a note to players with tempo and suggested feel.

Recording Tips for Bebop Writers

You do not need a million dollars to capture a small combo. You need clarity and a plan.

• Record the head as a live take if possible. The first take often has organic energy that editing cannot manufacture.
• Mic the sax and trumpet with cardioid microphones close enough to capture presence but not so close the consonants pop.
• Room sound matters. A little natural reverb makes the band cohesive. Too much and you lose rhythmic detail that bebop relies on.

Examples You Can Model

We will give you brief templates to steal and adapt. These are not finished songs. They are seeds.

Short head template one

Form sixteen bars A A.

Motif: strong upward leap of a third then stepwise descent.

Bar 1 end on chord third. Bar 2 add an enclosure to the next chord seventh. Repeat with variation. Keep the last bar a chromatic turn into the turnaround.

Short head template two for ballad feel

Form thirty two bars A B A C with longer melodic breaths.

Motif: descending line that resolves to the tonic then walks up in stepwise motion. Add a sustained interval to let the melody breathe. Voicings with added ninth create a warm color.

Songwriting Checklist for Bebop

• Is there a short motif you can hum from memory within four bars?
• Do phrases end on chord tones or guide tones where appropriate?
• Have you left space for soloists to outline changes?
• Do the chord substitutions serve the melody and not the other way around?
• Have you tested the head with a real musician who will tell you if a line is annoying to play?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a contrafact and why write one

A contrafact is a new melody over an existing chord progression. Historically bebop musicians used contrafacts to create new tunes without writing new harmony. For songwriters it is efficient because the changes are proven. It is also a great learning tool to see how different melodies interact with the same progression.

How do I write a bebop friendly head quickly

Start with a two note motif and loop it for four bars. Force yourself to land phrase endings on chord guide tones. Add one chromatic enclosure. Test with a rhythm section. If it sings and solos comfortably you are done. Speed comes with habit and ruthless editing.

What is the bebop scale and how do I use it

The bebop scale adds a chromatic passing tone to an existing scale to create an eight note pattern that fits the swing pulse. Use it to craft lines that land on downbeats naturally. Over dominant chords add a chromatic passing tone between the flat seventh and the root. Over major chords add a chromatic lower neighbor to the fifth. Use with restraint.

Is vocalese practical for most singers

Vocalese is a niche craft. It is powerful when done well but it requires transcription accuracy and breath control. If you love story telling and have good diction it is worth trying. Start with short phrases and build stamina before attempting a full solo set to words.

How much should I write for a bebop tune versus leaving room to improvise

Bebop values improvisation. The head should be memorable but leave space in the harmony and form for exploration. A tight head with clear harmonic targets is ideal. Avoid over arranging the entire form so solos feel like an afterthought. The tune exists to support improvisation and to give it a place to return to.

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