A flat Mixolydian mode
The A flat Mixolydian mode has 7 notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G♭. Its formula is 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 and it is built with the steps W W H W W H W.
Notes, formula and steps
The intervals from A♭ are root (A♭), major 2nd (B♭), major 3rd (C), perfect 4th (D♭), perfect 5th (E♭), major 6th (F) and minor 7th (G♭). Write down the step pattern W W H W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half): it is the fingerprint of the Mixolydian mode, whatever the starting note. This scale has 5 flats: A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭.
How to play the A flat Mixolydian mode on piano
Start on A♭ and play A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G♭ going up, then come back down. Say the note names out loud while you play: it links the sound, the keys and the names. Practise hands separately first, slowly with the metronome, then speed up.
How to play the A flat Mixolydian mode on guitar
On guitar, the root A♭ sits at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Start from one of these roots and play the notes of the fretboard map above in order, one string after another. The whole-neck view shows every place the A flat Mixolydian mode appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.
Chords in the A flat Mixolydian mode
Stacking every other note of the scale gives one chord per degree: A♭, B♭m, Cdim, D♭, E♭m, Fm and G♭. These are the chords you can combine to write a progression that stays in the A flat Mixolydian mode.
Relative and parallel scales
The A flat Mixolydian mode shares its notes with the C sharp major scale: same notes, different starting point and a different mood. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the A flat natural minor scale. Switching between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.
About the Mixolydian mode
A major scale with a lowered 7th: bright like major, but relaxed and earthy, without the pull of a leading tone. The ♭7 gives it a bluesy, rock and roll, jam-band flavour. It is the scale that matches a dominant seventh chord note for note, which is why it sounds so natural over one.
Rock, blues, funk, country, Celtic and jam music. Play it over dominant 7 chords (V7, or every chord of a blues) and over the rock progression I ♭VII IV I (for example D C G D). Over a V7 that resolves, it is the safe choice; over a static I7 vamp, it is the whole sound of the song.
On guitar, play a major-scale shape and lower the 7th by one fret, or start from the major pentatonic and add the 4th and the ♭7. Over a I7 vamp, alternate the major third and the ♭7 in your phrases. On piano, the white keys from G to G give G Mixolydian: play it over G7 in the left hand.
The 5th mode of the major scale: formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7, steps W W H W W H W. Mixolydian differs from the major scale by one note, the ♭7. Its parent major scale starts a perfect fourth above (G Mixolydian has the notes of C major). Its tonic chord is a dominant 7, and its ♭VII chord is major.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the A flat Mixolydian mode?
The A flat Mixolydian mode has 7 notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G♭. Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the A flat Mixolydian mode?
It has 5 flats: A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭.
Which chords are in the A flat Mixolydian mode?
One chord per degree: A♭, B♭m, Cdim, D♭, E♭m, Fm and G♭.
What is the relative of the A flat Mixolydian mode?
It shares its notes with the C sharp major scale. Its parallel scale is the A flat natural minor scale.
Related
- C sharp major scale
- A flat natural minor scale
- A flat major scale
- A flat minor pentatonic scale
- A flat major pentatonic scale
- A flat blues scale
- A flat Dorian mode
- A flat harmonic minor scale
- A♭
- A♭sus2
- A♭sus4
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