Scale
D mixolydian ♭6
Melodic minor modes
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
- Notes
- D E F♯ G A B♭ C
Notation
Fretboard — frets 0–24
Degrees
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | perfect unison | 0 | The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves. |
| 2 | E | major second | 2 | The major second — a bright neighbour a whole step above the root; in sus2 it replaces the third, so the chord commits to neither major nor minor. |
| 3 | F♯ | major third | 4 | The major third — the bright note that makes a quality major; it defines the chord's colour and pulls gently toward the root. |
| 4 | G | perfect fourth | 5 | The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging. |
| 5 | A | perfect fifth | 7 | The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality. |
| ♭6 | B♭ | minor sixth | 8 | The minor sixth — the dark sixth of aeolian, harmonic minor and mixolydian ♭6; it adds a classical, mournful weight. |
| ♭7 | C | minor seventh | 10 | The minor seventh — the dominant's engine; a whole step under the root, it turns a triad into a 7 chord and drives the resolution. |
About this scale
Mixolydian flat six is the fifth degree of melodic minor: a dominant scale with a flattened sixth, which darkens the major third's brightness and adds a melancholic, almost minor flavour to a major-quality scale. It is the sound of the 7♭13 chord and appears over dominant harmonies that want to resolve into a minor tonic, where the flat sixth anticipates the minor key. Jazz and film music use it for that bittersweet dominant colour. The scale still contains a major third and flat seventh, so it drives, but the flat sixth changes the light. Listen for the flat sixth pulling the phrase toward minor.
How to practise this scale
- Play the flat sixth and hear it pull the phrase toward minor.
- Improvise over a 7♭13 chord that resolves to a minor tonic.
- Compare it with mixolydian and isolate the lowered sixth.
- Play the scale in descending pairs and listen for the dark sixth.