A♭ mixolydian
A♭ major with one note lowered: G♭. Seven notes: A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭. The same notes as D♭ major, centred on A♭.
G♯ and A♭ are the same pitch. This scale is written as A♭ mixolydian because that spelling needs fewer accidentals than G♯ mixolydian.
- Parent key
- D♭ major Same notes
- Colour note
- G♭ The flat 7th
- Repeating chords
- A♭ – G♭ I – ♭VII
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampA♭A♭ · C · E♭ | ||||
| iiB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F | ||||
| iii°C°C · E♭ · G♭ | ||||
| IVD♭D♭ · F · A♭ | ||||
| vE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭ | ||||
| viFmF · A♭ · C | ||||
| ♭VIIVampG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭ |
What makes it mixolydian
Major, with the 7th lowered
One note separates A♭ mixolydian from A♭ major: G becomes G♭. Over the same root, that turns A♭ – G° into A♭ – G♭.
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G♭
Hear the difference
One chord that says mixolydian
A♭7 holds G♭, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on A♭
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Mixolydian is row 3 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- A♭ lydianA♭B♭CDE♭FG♯4
- A♭ ionian (major)A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG—
- A♭ mixolydianA♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭♭7
- A♭ dorianA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FG♭♭3 ♭7
- A♭ aeolian (natural minor)A♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭G♭♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- G♯ phrygianG♯ABC♯D♯EF♯same sound as A♭ phrygian♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- G♯ locrianG♯ABC♯DEF♯same sound as A♭ locrian♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating A♭ – G♭ chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with G♭ ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickA♭ – G♭, two bars each, in frets 3–7. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while A♭ – G♭ sounds. Stay in frets 3–7.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver G♭, aim for G♭. It is the note that makes it mixolydian.80 bpmLevel 2