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A♭ mixolydian pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Gb, Ab, C, Db, Eb at frets 2, 4, 8, 9, 11

A string: C, Db, Eb, Gb, Ab at frets 3, 4, 6, 9, 11

D string: Eb, Gb, Ab, C, Db at frets 1, 4, 6, 10, 11

G string: Ab, C, Db, Eb, Gb at frets 1, 5, 6, 8, 11

B string: C, Db, Eb, Gb, Ab at frets 1, 2, 4, 7, 9

High E string: Gb, Ab, C, Db, Eb at frets 2, 4, 8, 9, 11

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Ab mixolydian pentatonic

The mixolydian pentatonic, also catalogued as the Indian pentatonic, is root, major 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th: a dominant 7th chord plus the 4th. It gives you the mixolydian sound in five notes, ideal over a static 7th chord vamp when the full mode feels busy. The 4th resolving down to the 3rd is its built-in melodic hook.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A♭

I

C

III

D♭

IV

E♭

V

G♭

bVII

mixolydian pentatonic in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • A dominant 7th chord plus the 4th: root, III, IV, V, bVII (Gb); over a Ab7 vamp, it is all signal and no filler.
  • Resolve the 4th (Db) down to the 3rd (C) as the built-in melodic move.
  • Where the major pentatonic avoids tension, this keeps the bVII (Gb): use it when the chord is a 7th, not a triad.
  • Its five notes also cover the sus-to-major resolution: hold IV against the chord, then land III.

How to play A♭ mixolydian pentatonic on guitar

Not one open string belongs to this key, which means every note has to be fretted and the nut gives you nothing. Fret 1 on the G string is the root nearest the nut, sharing its pitch with fret 11 on the A and fret 6 on the D. Capo one fret and the G fingering fits. Roots on both E strings sit at fret 4 and the B string carries one at fret 9, so the shape lives in the middle of the neck rather than down at the nut.

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