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Guitar scale · Aeolian dominant

D Mixolydian b6 Scale

Mode 5 of Melodic Minor: Mixolydian with a lowered 6th. A major scale with ♭6 and ♭7.

Notes DEF#GABbC
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps W W H W H W W
Mood Bittersweet, Bluesy, Open
Heard in Over 7♭13 chords, Jazz Improvisation

Interactive scale diagram

D Mixolydian b6 Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

D Mixolydian b6 Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-|
B|-------------------------------------11-13----------|
G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------|
D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------|
A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------|
E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-|
B|-------------------------------------13-15----------|
G|----------------------------12-14-15----------------|
D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------|
A|----------12-13-15----------------------------------|
E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 14–18
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-18-|
B|-------------------------------------15-17-------------|
G|----------------------------14-15-17-------------------|
D|-------------------14-16-17----------------------------|
A|-------------15-17-------------------------------------|
E|-14-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 17–21
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-20-|
B|-------------------------------------19-20----------|
G|----------------------------17-19-21----------------|
D|-------------------17-19-20-------------------------|
A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------|
E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 19–22
e|----------------------------------------20-22-|
B|-------------------------------19-20-22-------|
G|-------------------------19-21----------------|
D|----------------19-20-22----------------------|
A|-------19-21-22-------------------------------|
E|-20-22----------------------------------------|

How to play D Mixolydian b6 on guitar

Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 10–14. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 D
2 E
3 F#
4 G
5 A
♭6 Bb
♭7 C

Chords in D Mixolydian b6

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Mixolydian b6; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I D D7 Tonic
ii° Edim Em7b5 Supertonic
iii° F#dim F#m7b5 Mediant
iv Gm Gm(maj7) Subdominant
v Am Am7 Dominant
♭VI+ Bbaug Bbmaj7#5 Submediant
♭VII C C7 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the D Mixolydian b6 Scale?
The D Mixolydian b6 Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G, A, Bb, C.
What chords are in the D Mixolydian b6 Scale?
The chords of D Mixolydian b6 are D (I), Edim (ii°), F#dim (iii°), Gm (iv), Am (v), Bbaug (♭VI+), C (♭VII).
What is the formula of the mixolydian b6 scale?
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W H W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play D Mixolydian b6 on the guitar?
The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Mixolydian b6 Scale in every key

More scales in D