Skip to content
MusicTheoryGym

Scale · 7 notes

A♭ Mixolydian Scale

A♭ Mixolydian is a 7-note scale with the notes A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭. It sounds major with a flattened 7th, bluesy and relaxed, the sound of rock and dominant chords.

CFD♭E♭G♭A♭B♭

Purple = A♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every A♭ mixolydian note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215FG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CE♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭FA♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭

Blue = A♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the A♭ Mixolydian scale

DegreeNoteName
1A♭Tonic
2B♭Supertonic
3CMediant
4D♭Subdominant
5E♭Dominant
6FSubmediant
♭7G♭Subtonic

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭.

A♭ Mixolydian scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – W – H – W – W – H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7.

Chords in the A♭ Mixolydian scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
IA♭A♭7
iiB♭mB♭m7
iii°C°Cø7
IVD♭D♭maj7
vE♭mE♭m7
viFmFm7
VIIG♭G♭maj7

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

Related scales

  • Parent major scale: D♭ Major, which has exactly the same notes as A♭ Mixolydian.

How to practise the A♭ Mixolydian scale

Learn each mode by its characteristic note: the one that makes it different from the major or minor scale it most resembles. Play a drone on the tonic while you play the scale to hear its colour.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the A♭ Mixolydian scale?

The notes of the A♭ Mixolydian scale are A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭.

What is the formula for the A♭ Mixolydian scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – W – H – W – W – H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7.

What chords are in the A♭ Mixolydian scale?

Built from the scale in triads: A♭, B♭m, C°, D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭.

More A♭ scales

A♭ Major, A♭ Natural Minor, A♭ Harmonic Minor, A♭ Melodic Minor, A♭ Dorian, A♭ Lydian, A♭ Major Pentatonic, A♭ Minor Pentatonic, A♭ Lydian Dominant, A♭ Whole Tone, A♭ Lydian Augmented, A♭ Mixolydian ♭6, A♭ Hungarian Minor, A♭ Bebop Dominant, A♭ Bebop Major

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.