B♭ Mixolydian mode on mandolin
The B♭ Mixolydian mode has seven notes: B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G and A♭ (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 | B♭ | C | D | E♭ | F | G | A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | half | whole | whole | half | whole |
3 positions to learn it in
Each stretch here is a few frets you can play without moving the hand: the open position, then from the root on the lowest string. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the B♭ Mixolydian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; B♭ (B♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (B♭) | B♭home | B♭7home |
| 2 (C) | Cmrestless | Cm7restless |
| 3 (D) | Ddimthe edge | Dm7♭5the edge |
| 4 (E♭) | E♭the door | E♭maj7the door |
| 5 (F) | Fmsoft fall | Fm7soft fall |
| 6 (G) | Gmthe shadow | Gm7the shadow |
| ♭7 (A♭) | A♭heroic | A♭maj7heroic |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the E♭ major scale, started from its fifth note, B♭.
Questions
What notes are in the B♭ Mixolydian mode?
B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G and A♭. 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 B♭ Mixolydian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: B♭, Cm, Ddim, E♭, Fm, Gm and A♭, and as seventh chords B♭7, Cm7, Dm7♭5, E♭maj7, Fm7, Gm7 and A♭maj7. B♭ is home: B♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Mixolydian mode in every key
Other scales in B♭
B♭ majorB♭ minorB♭ minor pentatonicB♭ major pentatonicB♭ bluesB♭ DorianB♭ LydianB♭ PhrygianB♭ harmonic minorB♭ melodic minorB♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: mandolin scales. This scale on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.