B♭ Mixolydian mode (A♯ Mixolydian)
B♭ Mixolydian mode is B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭, with B♭, E♭ and A♭. Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
The step pattern is W W H W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D–E♭ and G–A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | |
| 2 | C | major second | |
| 3 | D | major third | |
| 4 | E♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | F | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | G | major sixth | |
| ♭7 | A♭ | minor seventh |
How the Mixolydian mode sounds
Mixolydian is a major mode with a lowered 7th. It's the sound of a dominant 7th chord stretched into a scale: bluesy, a bit rock-and-roll, used over B♭7.
B♭7 is the Mixolydian chord: the A♭ that makes it a dominant seventh is the same note that makes the scale Mixolydian.
Compared with B♭ major scale, B♭ Mixolydian mode has A♭ where the other has A; the other six notes are shared. Hear B♭ major scale and compare.
B♭ Mixolydian mode uses the same seven notes as E♭ major, starting from B♭ instead of E♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Mixolydian is playing it over a B♭ bass or chord.
Where your hands go
B♭, E♭ and A♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
On guitar the root sits at the 6th fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 4–10 and holds 16 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it 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 B♭ Mixolydian mode; the ones that differ from the E♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know B♭ Mixolydian mode, you already know the notes of C natural minor (starting on the 2nd note, C), D Locrian (starting on the 3rd note, D), E♭ major (starting on the 4th note, E♭), F Dorian (starting on the 5th note, F), G Phrygian (starting on the 6th note, G) and A♭ Lydian (starting on the 7th note, A♭).
B♭ Mixolydian mode across the fretboard
Find B♭ first: fret 6 of the 6th string, fret 1 and 13 of the 5th. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 11) and you'll have it everywhere. Play a major scale, then drop the 7th a half step; that is Mixolydian, the sound of a dominant chord.
On the piano, B♭ Mixolydian mode uses 3 black keys (B♭, E♭ and A♭) and 4 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's B♭–D, C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B♭, A♭–C.
Drills for B♭ Mixolydian
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: B♭ C D · C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭ · G A♭ B♭.
- Lean on A♭: B♭ A♭ B♭ A♭ B♭: the ♭7 takes the pull out of major and makes it bluesy.
Close relatives of B♭ Mixolydian mode
Mixolydian mode in every key
B♭ Mixolydian mode: questions
What are the notes of the B♭ Mixolydian mode?
7 notes: B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G and A♭.
How many sharps or flats are in the B♭ Mixolydian mode?
Three: B♭, E♭ and A♭.
What chords are in the B♭ Mixolydian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives B♭ (I), Cm (ii), Ddim (iii°), E♭ (IV), Fm (v), Gm (vi) and A♭ (VII).
What's the difference between B♭ Mixolydian mode and B♭ major scale?
A♭ in B♭ Mixolydian; A in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as B♭ Mixolydian mode?
E♭ major. B♭ Mixolydian is E♭ major played from its 5th note, B♭.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.