Bass WoodshedScales, modes and arpeggios for bass

Mode · 4-string · Root on E string, 9th fret

D♭ Mixolydian Mode

D♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭C♭
EADG01234567891011121314151617181920212223243456♭73456♭7126♭7126♭712345234523456♭7156♭7123456♭71234123456♭71

Tab & notation

Up and back down · 14 notes in 8th notes · 2 bars of 4/4
Note
Deg
G
D
A
E
Fing
D♭
1
9
2
E♭
2
11
4
F
3
8
1
G♭
4
9
2
A♭
5
11
4
B♭
6
8
1
C♭
♭7
9
2
D♭
1
11
4
C♭
♭7
9
2
B♭
6
8
1
A♭
5
11
4
G♭
4
9
2
F
3
8
1
E♭
2
11
4
·

How it's built

W = whole step (2 frets) · H = half step (1 fret)
D♭1Root
W
E♭2Major 2nd
W
F3Major 3rd
H
G♭4Perfect 4th
W
A♭5Perfect 5th
W
B♭6Major 6th
H
C♭♭7Minor 7th
W
D♭8Octave

Major with a ♭7. The sound of dominant 7 chords, blues-rock and funk.

Also called
Mode 5
Vs. major
♭7
Key signature
6 flats: D♭ E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭
Parent major
G♭
Use it over
Dominant 7 chords and rock progressions built on ♭VII.
Practice tip
Outline 1, 3, 5, ♭7 first, then fill in the gaps. That is a dominant bass line.
Your best
Complete a loop to log a tempo for this pattern.

Practice routine

Add BPM every loops, up to BPM
every loops
Cycling 4ths is how jazz players drill a shape in all twelve keys.

How to play the D♭ Mixolydian mode on bass

The D♭ Mixolydian mode has 7 notes: D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C♭. Major with a ♭7. The sound of dominant 7 chords, blues-rock and funk.

Step pattern: W W H W W H W (W = whole step, two frets; H = half step, one fret). Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7. Key signature: 6 flats: D♭ E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭. Parent major: G♭ major scale.

The root, D♭, is on the 9th fret of the E string and the 4th fret of the A string. On a five-string bass it is also on the 2nd fret of the low B string.

D♭ Mixolydian Mode tab: root on the E string

Start on the 9th fret of the E string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 8 to 11 without moving your hand.

G|--------------------|
D|-------------8-9-11-|
A|------8-9-11--------|
E|-9-11---------------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭
Fingers: 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4

D♭ Mixolydian Mode tab: root on the A string

Start on the 4th fret of the A string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 3 to 6 without moving your hand.

G|-----------3-4-6-|
D|-----3-4-6-------|
A|-4-6-------------|
E|-----------------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭
Fingers: 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4

Two octaves from the E string

Start on the 9th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 9 to 18 with 2 position shifts.

G|---------------------------------13-15-16-18-|
D|------------------------13-15-16-------------|
A|---------------13-14-16----------------------|
E|-9-11-13-14-16-------------------------------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭
Fingers: 1 3 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 3 4 1 3 4 4

On a 5-string bass: root on the B string

Start on the 2nd fret of the B string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 1 to 4 without moving your hand.

G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|-----------1-2-4-|
E|-----1-2-4-------|
B|-2-4-------------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭
Fingers: 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4

Notes and intervals

DegreeNoteIntervalFrets above the root
1D♭Root0
2E♭Major 2nd2
3FMajor 3rd4
4G♭Perfect 4th5
5A♭Perfect 5th7
6B♭Major 6th9
♭7C♭Minor 7th10

When to use it

Dominant 7 chords and rock progressions built on ♭VII. Outline 1, 3, 5, ♭7 first, then fill in the gaps. That is a dominant bass line.

How to practise it

Start with the metronome at 60 BPM in 8th notes, ascending and descending, until you can play it without looking. Raise the tempo 5 BPM at a time with the speed builder, then switch on memory mode so the tab hides after the first loop. Earn bronze for playing it through, silver at 4 notes a second, and gold at that speed from memory.

The Mixolydian mode in every key

Printable chart of all 12 keys: PDF · print page · every pattern in one PDF

More patterns from D♭

Scales

Modes

Arpeggios

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