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B♭ mixolydian pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, Ab, Bb, D, Eb at frets 1, 4, 6, 10, 11

A string: Bb, D, Eb, F, Ab at frets 1, 5, 6, 8, 11

D string: D, Eb, F, Ab, Bb, D at frets 0, 1, 3, 6, 8, 12

G string: Ab, Bb, D, Eb, F at frets 1, 3, 7, 8, 10

B string: D, Eb, F, Ab, Bb at frets 3, 4, 6, 9, 11

High E string: F, Ab, Bb, D, Eb at frets 1, 4, 6, 10, 11

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Bb 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:

B♭

I

D

III

E♭

IV

F

V

A♭

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 (Ab); over a Bb7 vamp, it is all signal and no filler.
  • Resolve the 4th (Eb) down to the 3rd (D) as the built-in melodic move.
  • Where the major pentatonic avoids tension, this keeps the bVII (Ab): 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 B♭ mixolydian pentatonic on guitar

Open D is the lone open string here, landing on the third, since neither the tonic nor its fifth shows up open. Fret 1 on the A string is the root closest to the nut, and fret 6 on the low E gives the same pitch rather than a lower one, which means the A-shape grip is no deeper. Fret 8 on the D and fret 3 on the G pair up an octave higher, so the shape stacks two roots per octave across the middle strings. Capo fret 1 to borrow the A fingering.

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