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Guitar scale · Aeolian dominant

Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale

Mode 5 of Melodic Minor: Mixolydian with a lowered 6th. A major scale with ♭6 and ♭7.

Notes AbBbCDbEbFbGb
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps W W H W H W W
Mood Bittersweet, Bluesy, Open
Heard in Over 7♭13 chords, Jazz Improvisation

Interactive scale diagram

Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 4–8
e|-----------------------------4-6-8-|
B|-------------------------5-7-------|
G|-------------------5-6-8-----------|
D|-------------4-6-8-----------------|
A|-------4-6-7-----------------------|
E|-4-6-8-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 6–10
e|------------------------------6-8-9-|
B|--------------------------7-9-------|
G|--------------------6-8-9-----------|
D|-------------6-8-10-----------------|
A|-------6-7-9------------------------|
E|-6-8-9------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 8–12
e|------------------------------------8-9-11-12-|
B|-------------------------------9-11-----------|
G|------------------------8-9-11----------------|
D|----------------8-10-11-----------------------|
A|-----------9-11-------------------------------|
E|-8-9-11-12------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-|
B|-------------------------------------13-14----------|
G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------|
D|-------------------11-13-14-------------------------|
A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------|
E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-|
B|----------------------------------14-16-17-------|
G|-------------------------13-15-17----------------|
D|----------------13-14-16-------------------------|
A|-------13-15-16----------------------------------|
E|-14-16-------------------------------------------|

How to play Ab Mixolydian b6 on guitar

Find the root first: Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Ab on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 4–8. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Ab
2 Bb
3 C
4 Db
5 Eb
♭6 Fb
♭7 Gb

Chords in Ab Mixolydian b6

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Ab Mixolydian b6; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I Ab Ab7 Tonic
ii° Bbdim Bbm7b5 Supertonic
iii° Cdim Cm7b5 Mediant
iv Dbm Dbm(maj7) Subdominant
v Ebm Ebm7 Dominant
♭VI+ Fbaug Fbmaj7#5 Submediant
♭VII Gb Gb7 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale?
The Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale has 7 notes: Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb.
What chords are in the Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale?
The chords of Ab Mixolydian b6 are Ab (I), Bbdim (ii°), Cdim (iii°), Dbm (iv), Ebm (v), Fbaug (♭VI+), Gb (♭VII).
What is the formula of the mixolydian b6 scale?
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W H W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Ab Mixolydian b6 on the guitar?
The root Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 4–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Mixolydian b6 Scale in every key

More scales in Ab