A Mixolydian ♭6 Scale on Guitar — 2 Shapes to Play the Whole Neck
A Mixolydian ♭6 is a mode of the melodic minor (jazz minor) scale, a favorite in jazz and fusion improvisation — its notes are A B C# D E F G, from the formula 1 2 3 4 5 b6 b7. This exact root/scale pairing computes to 2 repeating shapes on the neck.
A Mixolydian ♭6 Scale Notes
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 |
| 2 | B | 2 |
| 3 | C# | 3 |
| 4 | D | 4 |
| 5 | E | 5 |
| 6 | F | b6 |
| 7 | G | b7 |
A Mixolydian ♭6 Formula
Degree formula: 1 2 3 4 5 b6 b7
Whole – Whole – Half – Whole – Half – Whole – Whole
A Mixolydian ♭6 on the Guitar Fretboard
The notes of Mixolydian ♭6 repeat across the guitar fretboard in connected positions. Use the shape below to identify root notes, scale degrees, and neighboring shapes.
- Frets 3–13 (span 10 frets)
- Lowest note G, highest note F
- 3 A root notes, on the E string (fret 5), D string (fret 7), B string (fret 10)
How to practice this shape
- Start on the root — A at fret 5 on the E string. Play up to the highest note in the shape, then back down, staying inside frets 3–13.
- Your hand shifts 5 times as you cross strings: E→A (+1), A→D (+1), D→G (+1), G→B (+2), B→E (+1). Those crossings — not the notes — are what this position is really asking you to learn.
- Once it feels automatic, move on to the next of the 2 shapes — together they cover the whole neck, and the same pattern repeats from there.
Diatonic chords
These are the 7 chords built from A Mixolydian ♭6's own notes — the ones that will sound like they belong when you're writing a progression, backing a melody, or jamming in this key. The Roman numeral shows each chord's role in the key: capital for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented. Not every scale produces a clean chord on every degree — where that happens, we show it honestly instead of forcing a name that doesn't fit.
A Mixolydian ♭6 Scale Relationships
- Parent scale: D Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending)
A Mixolydian ♭6 FAQ
A Mixolydian ♭6 contains the notes A, B, C#, D, E, F, G.
A Mixolydian ♭6 is a mode of D Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending).
A Mixolydian ♭6 has a natural (major) 3rd degree, giving it a major character. It's derived from D Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending).
The diatonic chords in A Mixolydian ♭6 are A, Bdim, C#dim, Dm, Em, Faug, G.