Eb Mixolydian: A Flat-Key Dominant Sound
Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C and Db are the notes of the Eb Mixolydian scale. It is the sound of an Eb7 chord, in a flat key that horn players know well.
Place the root on the 11th fret of the low E string or the 6th fret of the A string and the usual shapes follow. Ab major has these seven notes too, so you can think of it as an Ab scale starting a fifth higher. For more on that mindset, see the three notes per string exercise.
Play the Eb mixolydian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Eb mixolydian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eb | 1 | Root | 0 |
| F | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| G | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| Ab | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Bb | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| C | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| Db | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
Eb mixolydian scale notes:
How the mixolydian scale is built:
The mixolydian scale is built from the degrees 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7, which gives the step pattern W-W-H-W-W-H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 5 of the Major Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
It is also known as Dominant Scale.
Eb Mixolydian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (D)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the Eb mixolydian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the mixolydian scale, starting from a different degree.
The mixolydian scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
