B Mixolydian scale
- Notes
- B C# D# E F# G# A
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Steps
- W W H W W H W (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- B Mixolydian mode, B dominant scale
Seven notes from B up to the next B. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
B Mixolydian on the piano
From B4 to B5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from B
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 1 | root | 0 |
| C# | 2 | major second | 2 |
| D# | 3 | major third | 4 |
| E | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| F# | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| G# | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| A | b7 | minor seventh | 10 |
B 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 B Mixolydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on B, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | B D# F# | |
| ii | C#m | C# E G# | |
| iii° | D#dim | D# F# A | |
| IV | E | E G# B | |
| v | F#m | F# A C# | |
| vi | G#m | G# B D# | |
| bVII | A | A C# E |
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
B Mixolydian uses exactly the same notes as C# natural minor, D# Locrian, E major, F# Dorian, G# Phrygian and A 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 E major: the chords are the same seven, but with B as home.
How B Mixolydian is built
Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th: against B major, A# becomes A. It has the same notes as E major, played from its 5th note, which is why it fits the dominant seventh chord on its root, B7. The major chord a whole tone below the root, A, going to B 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.