D♭ Mixolydian mode on guitar
The D♭ Mixolydian mode has seven notes: D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C♭ (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 | D♭ | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ | B♭ | C♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | half | whole | whole | half | whole |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the D♭ Mixolydian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; D♭ (D♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (D♭) | D♭home | D♭7home |
| 2 (E♭) | E♭mrestless | E♭m7restless |
| 3 (F) | Fdimthe edge | Fm7♭5the edge |
| 4 (G♭) | G♭the door | G♭maj7the door |
| 5 (A♭) | A♭msoft fall | A♭m7soft fall |
| 6 (B♭) | B♭mthe shadow | B♭m7the shadow |
| ♭7 (C♭) | C♭heroic | C♭maj7heroic |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the F♯ major scale, started from its fifth note, D♭.
Questions
What notes are in the D♭ Mixolydian mode?
D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C♭. 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 D♭ Mixolydian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: D♭, E♭m, Fdim, G♭, A♭m, B♭m and C♭, and as seventh chords D♭7, E♭m7, Fm7♭5, G♭maj7, A♭m7, B♭m7 and C♭maj7. D♭ is home: D♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Mixolydian mode in every key
Other scales in D♭
D♭ majorC♯ minorC♯ minor pentatonicD♭ major pentatonicC♯ bluesC♯ DorianD♭ LydianC♯ PhrygianC♯ harmonic minorC♯ melodic minorD♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.