Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale

What is the Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale?

Mixolydian ♭6 is the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale, blending the dominant ♭7 with a darkened ♭6 that gives it a bittersweet, almost cinematic quality. It works beautifully over dominant chords with altered extensions and shows up frequently in film scoring and Hindu-influenced fusion. Here's how the Ab Mixolydian b6 Scale lays out on the fretboard. This scale is enharmonically equivalent to G# Mixolydian b6.

Notes and Positions

Mixolydian with a flat 6th; 5th mode of melodic minor. Also called Hindu or Melodic Major. On bass, the fretboard view helps you visualize where the important tones sit for building lines across positions. Use a finger-per-fret approach first, then add shifts only when the line needs a wider range. In the key of Ab, the notes are: Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb.

How to Use It

You'll often hear it in Jazz, Indian Classical, and Dominant chords. A good way to internalize the sound is to sing the root, then sing a few scale degrees before you play them.

Start with the root on beat 1, add the 5th on beat 3, then work the other scale tones in as passing notes. Use the interactive fretboard above to spot repeats of the same note on different strings and frets.