E♭ mixolydian
E♭ major with one note lowered: D♭. Seven notes: E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D♭. The same notes as A♭ major, centred on E♭.
D♯ and E♭ are the same pitch. This scale is written as E♭ mixolydian because that spelling needs fewer accidentals than D♯ mixolydian.
- Parent key
- A♭ major Same notes
- Colour note
- D♭ The flat 7th
- Repeating chords
- E♭ – D♭ I – ♭VII
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampE♭E♭ · G · B♭ | ||||
| iiFmF · A♭ · C | ||||
| iii°G°G · B♭ · D♭ | ||||
| IVA♭A♭ · C · E♭ | ||||
| vB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F | ||||
| viCmC · E♭ · G | ||||
| ♭VIIVampD♭D♭ · F · A♭ |
What makes it mixolydian
Major, with the 7th lowered
One note separates E♭ mixolydian from E♭ major: D becomes D♭. Over the same root, that turns E♭ – D° into E♭ – D♭.
- E♭
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D
- E♭
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
Hear the difference
One chord that says mixolydian
E♭7 holds D♭, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on E♭
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Mixolydian is row 3 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- E♭ lydianE♭FGAB♭CD♯4
- E♭ ionian (major)E♭FGA♭B♭CD—
- E♭ mixolydianE♭FGA♭B♭CD♭♭7
- E♭ dorianE♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭♭3 ♭7
- E♭ aeolian (natural minor)E♭FG♭A♭B♭C♭D♭♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- E♭ phrygianE♭F♭G♭A♭B♭C♭D♭♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- D♯ locrianD♯EF♯G♯ABC♯same sound as E♭ locrian♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating E♭ – D♭ chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with D♭ ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickE♭ – D♭, two bars each, in frets 3–6. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while E♭ – D♭ sounds. Stay in frets 3–6.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver D♭, aim for D♭. It is the note that makes it mixolydian.80 bpmLevel 2