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ln his continuing journey through the modes of Melodic Minor, this monTtr pete'cattard'clambers up the foothills of mode 5, or as the locals call it, Mixolydian b6.
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Ui Scale vocabulary
V )azz soloing
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OVER THE PAST few months we've been lookrng at the modes of the Melodic minor scale, sta'L ng wirh the Me odic r',nor scale rtself back in GT128 and 129 This month a^d next we''e goi''tg to be examining in detail the mode taken f rom the fifth degree of the scale. The intervals of the mode are 1,2,3, 4,5, b6, b7 (in A, the notes A, B, C#, D, E, F, G), giving us basrcally the Mixolydian mode but with the 6th flatted, hence the rather imaginative name Mixolydian b6. The f irst step in using any new sca e is to find out what chords it w ll work over, and to do this we need to harmonise the scale (build a 7th chord from the scale by taking the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th notes). This would give us the intervals 1, 3, 5, b7 (in A, the notes A, C#, E and G), making a dom jnant 7th chord Thrs tells us that Mixolydian b6 will work over dominant 7th chords (see Diagram 2). When it comes to playing on dominant 7th chords, we're pretty spoiled for chorce; leaving aside pentatonic options, we've already got Mixolydian from the major scale modes and (depending on
progressions...
O^e of rhe key teat-': . .' scale, harmonically speai. ' ll.aL L g'ves you a dorr - ,- - -
or
47
is the same as D Melod c over Lhe Dnr chord), as he,' . Coldplay's Polirik. h also e:.=
So do we actually need yet another scale for dominant 7th chords? Well, lwould say that rather depends on what the scale
dominant 7b'l3 chords, but the natural 2nd and perfect 5th mean it's not a great choice on resolving dominant 7th chords (for more on
resolving dominant 7th chords, see GT133 and 134)
what does it
of Szymanowskr's Stabat Ma:eBabooshka can be found on K":Bush's comp lation The Whole Story, Coldplay's Politlk is the
what sets it apart f rom any of the other options? If we put it up against Altered, it's not
the only alteration is the b13th (b6th), so theoretically it will work over
rea ly an altered scale
lf we compare it to Lydian b7 (our new favourite scale on nonresolving dominant 7th chords see GTl39 and 140), the b6 is the obvious difference between the two scales, but Mixolydian b6 also has a perfect 4th unlike Lydian b7,
opening I at
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found on Supermen Lovers' Tr: Playe'. r. le'Joe, On B.oadwaT : Ieq- la are all slanda,ds r^dt heard rn numerous versions.
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So do we actually need yet another scale on dominant 7th chords? We[[, that rather depends on what the scale can offer us...
80 Guita/Ieehniques February 2008
you with a favourite chord sequence of mine - lVm - bVllT - 17 (in A: Dm - G7 - 47), featured in tunes lrke Babooshka by Kate Bush, and for those of a more classical bent, the luminous frnal movernent of Szymanowski's sublime Stabat Mater (Ex 3c) With any new scale tt can take a littie while to get the shapes under your f ingers, so ExamPles 4 and 5 (and diagrams 3 and -l) featu'e a couple ol ideas for
Mixolydian b6
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Although a scale that's not as f requently used as some, Mixolydian b6 does have a d stincLive sound that's a Pleasing, somewhat wistful mix between "nalor and nInor, w th the b6 bringing out the sound of the D minor triad built f rom the 4th. There'll be more on thts fascinatinq twist on the Mixolydian scale next month so l'll see you then. In the meantime, get practisingl GT
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Example 2 features the comparative sounds of A Mixolydian then A Mixolydian b6 played over a domrnant 7sus4 chord - in this case G/A
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Example 3 features some classic Mixolydian b6 progressions, the first based around dominant 7th chords a whole step apart, the second around a mtnor V - | resolution (although, to be exact, in this instance we're actually
Ex 3a
movrng from the I chord to the lVm chord in A Mixolydian b6) , anc:-= third based around a lVm bYllT - 17 sequence.
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Example 4 fealures the m(maj7) pentatonic scale that we looked at back in GT128. Playing this from the fourth degree of the scale (eg in A, playing
Dm(mal7) pentatonic over A7 - see Diagram #3) gtves us the intervals 1, 3, 4, b6, b7, which highlights the key tones of the scale.
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Another substitutron idea is to p ay a dominant 7th arpeggio down a whole step from the root of the chord (eg in A, play ng a G7 arpeqgio over 47 - see diaqram #4), bringing out the interva s 2, 4, b6, b7 (you could also
p ay the Lydian b7 pentatonic scale we discussed back ln GT'140 down whole step, which would add the 3rd).
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