A♭ Mixolydian mode (G♯ Mixolydian)
A♭ Mixolydian mode is A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭, with A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭. Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
A♭ Mixolydian mode, note by note
Counted in steps it goes W W H W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between C–D♭ and F–G♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | root | |
| 2 | B♭ | major second | |
| 3 | C | major third | |
| 4 | D♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | F | major sixth | |
| ♭7 | G♭ | minor seventh |
How the Mixolydian mode sounds
Take A♭ major and flatten the 7th to G♭: that's A♭ Mixolydian. Lots of classic rock riffs and Celtic tunes live here.
The Mixolydian move is G♭ to A♭, the major chord a whole step below home, the ♭VII that rock uses constantly.
Compared with A♭ major scale, A♭ Mixolydian mode has G♭ where the other has G; the other six notes are shared. Hear A♭ major scale and compare.
A♭ Mixolydian mode uses the same seven notes as D♭ major, starting from A♭ instead of D♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Mixolydian is playing it over a A♭ bass or chord.
Playing A♭ Mixolydian
Keyboard players: five black (A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭), two white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 4th fret of the low E string and spans frets 2–8: 16 notes, low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit A♭ Mixolydian mode; the ones that differ from the D♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know A♭ Mixolydian mode, you already know the notes of C Locrian (starting on the 3rd note, C), D♭ major (starting on the 4th note, D♭), E♭ Dorian (starting on the 5th note, E♭), F Phrygian (starting on the 6th note, F), G♭ Lydian (starting on the 7th note, G♭) and B♭ natural minor (starting on the 2nd note, B♭).
Finding A♭ Mixolydian on the neck
Anchor points for A♭: low E string fret 4, A string fret 11. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11. Play a major scale, then drop the 7th a half step; that is Mixolydian, the sound of a dominant chord.
On the piano, A♭ Mixolydian mode uses 5 black keys (A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭) and 2 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: A♭–C, B♭–D♭, C–E♭, D♭–F, E♭–G♭, F–A♭, G♭–B♭, then back down.
Three ways to practise A♭ Mixolydian
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside A♭ Mixolydian mode.
- Groups of three: A♭ B♭ C · B♭ C D♭ · C D♭ E♭ · D♭ E♭ F · E♭ F G♭ · F G♭ A♭.
- Lean on G♭: A♭ G♭ A♭ G♭ A♭: the ♭7 takes the pull out of major and makes it bluesy.
Scales to compare with A♭ Mixolydian
Mixolydian mode in every key
A♭ Mixolydian mode: questions
What are the notes of the A♭ Mixolydian mode?
A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G♭, then A♭ again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the A♭ Mixolydian mode?
Five: A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭.
What chords are in the A♭ Mixolydian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives A♭ (I), B♭m (ii), Cdim (iii°), D♭ (IV), E♭m (v), Fm (vi) and G♭ (VII).
What's the difference between A♭ Mixolydian mode and A♭ major scale?
G♭ in A♭ Mixolydian; G in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as A♭ Mixolydian mode?
D♭ major. A♭ Mixolydian is D♭ major played from its 5th note, A♭.
Generated from the step pattern 2-2-1-2-2-1-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.