Ab Mixolydian scale
- Notes
- Ab Bb C Db Eb F Gb
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Steps
- W W H W W H W (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- Ab Mixolydian mode, Ab dominant scale
- Also written
- G# Mixolydian: G# A# B# C# D# E# F#
Seven notes from Ab up to the next Ab. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
Ab Mixolydian on the piano
From Ab4 to Ab5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from Ab
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | root | 0 |
| Bb | 2 | major second | 2 |
| C | 3 | major third | 4 |
| Db | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| Eb | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| F | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| Gb | b7 | minor seventh | 10 |
Ab Mixolydian on the guitar
Standard tuning, high e on top as in tablature, open strings to fret 12. Every dot is a note of the scale; the pattern repeats from fret 12 up.
The seven chords of Ab Mixolydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on Ab, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Ab C Eb | |
| ii | Bbm | Bb Db F | |
| iii° | Cdim | C Eb Gb | |
| IV | Db | Db F Ab | |
| v | Ebm | Eb Gb Bb | |
| vi | Fm | F Ab C | |
| bVII | Gb (same notes, spelled F# on its chord page) | Gb Bb Db |
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
Ab Mixolydian uses exactly the same notes as C Locrian, Db major, Eb Dorian, F Phrygian, Gb Lydian and Bb natural minor. What changes is the note the music keeps returning to, and with it which chord sounds like home.
Same notes as the key of Db major: the chords are the same seven, but with Ab as home.
How Ab Mixolydian is built
Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th: against Ab major, G becomes Gb. It has the same notes as Db major, played from its 5th note, which is why it fits the dominant seventh chord on its root, Ab7. The major chord a whole tone below the root, Gb, going to Ab is the classic rock and folk Mixolydian move.
Played some notes and not sure which scale they come from? The scale finder listens to the piano, a MIDI keyboard or the microphone and ranks all 180 scales.
What this page cannot do
- One spelling per scale. G# Mixolydian is the same sounds written from G#; the root is spelled the way that needs the fewest sharps and flats.
- Equal temperament only. Blues and many folk traditions bend notes between these pitches, and Arabic and Turkish maqam scales use quarter tones that a piano cannot play.
- The guitar diagram shows standard tuning only and does not suggest fingerings; any note can be played in several places.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, not a recorded instrument.