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Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic

Bb Mixolydian b2 Scale

Mode 5 of Harmonic Major: Mixolydian with a lowered 2nd.

Notes BbCbDEbFGAb
Formula 1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Steps H W+H H W W H W
Mood Exotic, Tense, Dominant
Heard in Modal Improvisation

Interactive scale diagram

Bb Mixolydian b2 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.

Bb Mixolydian b2 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 6–10
e|--------------------------------6-7-10-|
B|----------------------------8-9--------|
G|---------------------7-8-10------------|
D|---------------6-8-9-------------------|
A|--------6-8-10-------------------------|
E|-6-7-10--------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 8–12
e|--------------------------------------10-11-|
B|------------------------------9-11-12-------|
G|----------------------8-10-12---------------|
D|---------------8-9-12-----------------------|
A|-------8-10-11------------------------------|
E|-10-11--------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-|
B|-------------------------------------11-12----------|
G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------|
D|----------------------12-13-------------------------|
A|----------10-11-13-14-------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-|
B|-------------------------------------15-16----------|
G|----------------------------13-15-16----------------|
D|-------------------13-15-17-------------------------|
A|----------13-14-17----------------------------------|
E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-19-|
B|-------------------------------------16-18-------------|
G|----------------------------15-16-19-------------------|
D|-------------------15-17-18----------------------------|
A|-------------17-18-------------------------------------|
E|-15-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|

How to play Bb Mixolydian b2 on guitar

Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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 Bb
♭2 Cb
3 D
4 Eb
5 F
6 G
♭7 Ab

Chords in Bb Mixolydian b2

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Mixolydian b2; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I Bb Bb7 Tonic
♭II+ Cbaug Cbmaj7#5 Supertonic
iii° Ddim Ddim7 Mediant
IV Eb Ebmaj7 Subdominant
v° Fdim Fm7b5 Dominant
vi Gm Gm7 Submediant
♭vii Abm Abm(maj7) Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the Bb Mixolydian b2 Scale?
The Bb Mixolydian b2 Scale has 7 notes: Bb, Cb, D, Eb, F, G, Ab.
What chords are in the Bb Mixolydian b2 Scale?
The chords of Bb Mixolydian b2 are Bb (I), Cbaug (♭II+), Ddim (iii°), Eb (IV), Fdim (v°), Gm (vi), Abm (♭vii).
What is the formula of the mixolydian b2 scale?
1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H H W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Bb Mixolydian b2 on the guitar?
The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Mixolydian b2 Scale in every key

More scales in Bb