A♭ Mixolydian mode on bass
The A♭ Mixolydian mode has seven notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G♭ (1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7). A major scale with a flat 7th: the sound of rock, blues-rock and country over a dominant 7 chord. It fits riffs built on I, ♭VII and IV, like A, G and D.
| Note | A♭ | B♭ | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | half | whole | whole | half | whole |
7 positions to learn it in
Played three notes on every string, the A♭ Mixolydian mode has a position starting on each of its notes. They are good for speed, with the same picking pattern on every string. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the A♭ Mixolydian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; A♭ (A♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (A♭) | A♭home | A♭7home |
| 2 (B♭) | B♭mrestless | B♭m7restless |
| 3 (C) | Cdimthe edge | Cm7♭5the edge |
| 4 (D♭) | D♭the door | D♭maj7the door |
| 5 (E♭) | E♭msoft fall | E♭m7soft fall |
| 6 (F) | Fmthe shadow | Fm7the shadow |
| ♭7 (G♭) | G♭heroic | G♭maj7heroic |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the D♭ major scale, started from its fifth note, A♭.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭ Mixolydian mode?
A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G♭. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are W W H W W H W (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the A♭ Mixolydian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: A♭, B♭m, Cdim, D♭, E♭m, Fm and G♭, and as seventh chords A♭7, B♭m7, Cm7♭5, D♭maj7, E♭m7, Fm7 and G♭maj7. A♭ is home: A♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Mixolydian mode in every key
Other scales in A♭
A♭ majorG♯ minorG♯ minor pentatonicA♭ major pentatonicG♯ bluesG♯ DorianA♭ LydianG♯ PhrygianG♯ harmonic minorG♯ melodic minorA♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: bass scales. This scale on guitar, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.