Bb Mixolydian scale
- Notes
- Bb C D Eb F G Ab
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Steps
- W W H W W H W (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- Bb Mixolydian mode, Bb dominant scale
Seven notes from Bb up to the next Bb. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
Bb Mixolydian on the piano
From Bb4 to Bb5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from Bb
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | 1 | root | 0 |
| C | 2 | major second | 2 |
| D | 3 | major third | 4 |
| Eb | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| F | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| G | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| Ab | b7 | minor seventh | 10 |
Bb 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 Bb Mixolydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on Bb, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bb D F | |
| ii | Cm | C Eb G | |
| iii° | Ddim | D F Ab | |
| IV | Eb | Eb G Bb | |
| v | Fm | F Ab C | |
| vi | Gm | G Bb D | |
| bVII | Ab | Ab C Eb |
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
Bb Mixolydian uses exactly the same notes as C natural minor, D Locrian, Eb major, F Dorian, G Phrygian and Ab Lydian. What changes is the note the music keeps returning to, and with it which chord sounds like home.
Same notes as the key of Eb major: the chords are the same seven, but with Bb as home.
How Bb Mixolydian is built
Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th: against Bb major, A becomes Ab. It has the same notes as Eb major, played from its 5th note, which is why it fits the dominant seventh chord on its root, Bb7. The major chord a whole tone below the root, Ab, going to Bb 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. 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.