Songs that use the Mixolydian ♭6 scale

[@DavidBennettPiano]

CORRECTION: As Scott Gray pointed out to me in the comments, at 1:35 I say that between the two chords we get "6 out of 7" of the scale degrees, but actually we only get 5. Sorry for any confusion!

[@ecksdee9768]

Okay! Ok

[@scottgray4623]

Thank you for clarifying! I hope you didn't think I was being mean or snarky. 😊

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@scottgray4623 no of course not! Thanks for bringing it to my attention ☺️☺️

[@scottgray4623]

@@DavidBennettPiano Also, thank you for the great educational content, I probably should have led with that. 😁

[@ewenharrison]

Great video, thank you. Would be interested in whether you think Kylie M Padam Padam is C myxolydian b6 or phyrigian dominant. It has D naturals but Db elsewhere. Big song makes for click worthy video 😊😊😊

[@elrondhubbard9127]

I love how cats are always so good at adding those little, thoughtful, chromatic flourishes to any song 😁😁

[@wellurban]

Maybe to told the cat to “go outside” and the cat interpreted that to mean “play outside” like a jazz soloist.

[@colinbanning9416]

I will sometimes just be playing guitar on my couch but I'll leave my piano plugged in and just recording and catch some random clips of cat jazz. I plan on trying to find very usable phrases for a few songs later. So far they've been very uninspired, 'the blurst of times' kind of stuff

[@mathieuguillet4036]

Cool cat! 😇

[@tunestar]

If he copyrights that bit of music he should add the cat as the cowriter so she can pay for her own food with the royalties.

[@NomeDeArte]

It's a jaaaaazzzzzzz cat

[@GiveZeeAChance]

I am glad that you realized how Millie's contributions to your composition are important and left them in. Made my day

[@DeGuerre]

We need more Millie content.

[@Chunda8]

She was like, let me throw in a little hot sauce.....you are welcome! It actually worked for me.

[@Jtmcad14]

I - iv is one of my favorite chord progressions. I just find it hauntingly beautiful and I'm happy to see it get some love here ☺

[@GoatPepper]

I highly recommend Edge Hill by Groove Armada. It vamps on a I-iv progression the entire song. It has a long and almost droning intro and drops a nice reward for making it to the body of the track. Enjoy!

[@Cestariarts]

Plagal minor

[@blah2blah65]

Millie demonstrated the catolydian scale, which is commonly played at the same time as a human to mess them up and bring dissonance until fed, pet, or whatever the cat wants.

[@JulesLeyheGuitarPlayer]

I just fed my cats while this video was playing, read this comment, had to share this with you hahahaha :)

[@hardi.stones]

I thought it's the feline dominant. :D

[@minka866]

Catolydian?

[@rome8180]

It's the Meow Mix-olydian. (That joke may not work in countries outside the US. Not sure if Meow Mix is sold elsewhere.)

[@lu4enp]

@@hardi.stones great scale name!!!

[@maxwellclark2345]

I'm amazed you haven't ran out of songs OR scales yet. Excellent work, as always!

[@sovka8394]

If we take to consideration microtonalities, there is infinite amount of music scales. He’ll be good.

[@GizzyDillespee]

"And now, all the songs that use a mixolydian half-flat 6 scale" David:

[@alejandrobauer7234]

The Millie scale for the next vídeo.

[@wyattstevens8574]

@@alejandrobauer7234 But what scale would that be?

[@alejandrobauer7234]

Well things out of the cat’s music theory which is still unknown to us human beings..

[@iximusic]

Yesss so glad you included a NIN song! I think Mixo b6 shaped Trent Reznor's sound for the bulk of his career. It's so beautiful and haunting. Great video David! I wonder how hard it was for you to choose from all the Radiohead songs with that vamp! ;)

[@myswedishfriend]

Whenever I hear a song in this scale it just feels like "home," and I'm sure that's because of the NIN I've listened to over and over since the 90s.

[@sharpphilip]

I was thinking of @iximusic while watching this. :)

[@domdude64dd]

It's also in Something I Can Never Have

[@rideofthefrequencies1871]

I've seen enough of your videos that the reason that I clicked on this video was to see if NIN was mentioned, because it would be a crime not to mention Trent Reznor in a video like this.

[@abbesatty9498]

By flattening the 2nd, the cat shortly modulated to the Phrygian Dominant scale. Well done!

[@JimMonsanto]

"They LIKE the wrong notes!", says your cat, adding interesting color to your composition. This was a really eye-opening video! I'm going to give this scale a try.

[@michaelfox1432]

Honorable mention: The main theme of Klaatu's "Little Neutrino" is a beautiful example of Mixolydian b6. Hearing this haunting piece is what decided me to learn to play music. I had to learn to play music and I had to learn to play that.

[@reddwood4971]

Wow man thanks for the recommendation! Just checked it out and was pleasantly surprised by how interesting it was. Love when people lead me to discover new interesting music

[@DavidSingleton1701D]

I got so happy when you started talking about ELO and played Twilight. I love that song, and the album it's from. Also I appreciate your cat's piano mastery. My cat keep trying to show me what for with my guitar, but I never listen.

[@knucklepilled]

ironically, i discovered that song BECAUSE of this video, now i listen to it at a pretty much daily basis i should go check out the other songs from the album then

[@HereComesWheely]

Same here, it's one of many of my favourites by them!

[@chameleon-dream-band-official]

Even as an experienced musician, I love your videos/channel David. You're a great teacher. They either confirm what I think I already know, give me a new angle of thinking, or teach me something I didn't know. Thank you.

[@TotalNoSkill]

Nice work like always. You have no idea how much I have learnt about music theory just by watching your videos.

[@jasonjrsp]

that b9 that Millie added gave the theme the haunted and "scratched" sound ! Hehehe great video as always!

[@matthewjamestaylor]

Great video, David. I would refer to this scale as the Melodic Major. Just as the Melodic Minor is a major scale with a minor third. this scale is a natural minor scale with a major third. This name makes even more sense when you think of it as a mode of the Melodic Minor making it part of the Melodic Scale Family. This scale is also part of a set of four scales where the lower tetrachord is major, and the upper tetrachord variants (6th and 7th degrees) create the major, mixolydian, melodic major, and the harmonic major scales. The four minor scales that group in this way (identical lower tetrachords with variations of the 6th and 7th degrees) are the natural minor, dorian, melodic minor (jazz minor), and harmonic minor. Cheers.

[@LawrinMaxwellsmpc500]

Excellent analysis sir

[@zbr76]

I'm surprised he didn't alternatively refer to it as melodic major as well. Sure, Aeolian dominant is fine, but considering how the scale is a mirror of melodic minor, calling it 'melodic major' seems much more logical.

[@Metagrinner]

One of my favourites amongst the melodic modes(lydian #5 being my favourite).

[@Ahoialasi]

@@zbr76 he did at the end of the video

[@marktyler3381]

Good way of looking at it, and very useful for chord voicings such as #11 or b9. A polychord can be viewed as 2 triads generally, and that goes well with splitting tetrachords.

[@mateusbez2669]

Uninvited is a really underrated song. Such a brilliant, creative and unusual song. Fantastic lyrics too.

[@rome8180]

I was just going to post something similar. It's my favorite Alanis song, and one of my favorite songs of the '90s. The orchestration and arrangement are fantastic too. It builds so well.

[@deanroddey2881]

That whole album was sort of doomed. JLP was so massive, that anything that came after it was almost guaranteed to be overlooked.

[@claymationmedia6961]

Omg… Your cat at the end is puuurfect! Lol. My cat is a ghost all day until I start working on the computer/producing… All of a sudden you get a sunrise fur-ball jumping onto your lap and walking all over the keyboards. 😂

[@radonato]

Bravo Millie! And another great explanatory video regarding alternate scales/modes, their origins and their usefulness. Thanks, David. You rock.

[@pacorka9943]

😂 I love the meow and then the cat on the keyboard. Perfect.

[@feloeffel3295]

Finally! My favourite scale! i love the mysterious sound of it. Improvising on it is really fun to me. Also i love that you included on of my favourite songs from one of my favourite bands, twilight by elo. ps: i know the scale under just the name "the fifth mode", because its the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale. Im not sure, but i think that this name was mostly used in Jazz.

[@garybates7485]

Always enjoy your explanations ! thanks David

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you ☺️

[@BroedyOliver]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU. literally a week ago I went on a wild goose chase trying to find more info on this awesome scale

[@zimmejoc]

Thumbs up for keeping Millie's contribution to the piece in the final edit. :)

[@slidenaway]

okay that reflection thing between the modes melodic minor and mixolydian flat 6th is super cool. Maths and shit I guess!! I always learn something from your videos David and this is what I learned this time!!

[@Mythansar]

Haha! I loved the part with the cat! You explain modes and scales very well there! Keep up this amazing work! Great job. ;)

[@jessenoordhuis8171]

Your video's always makes so much sense. As a music student i get a lot of theory, which i don't always understand completely. Your video's are like glue for this loose information in my head. Thank you for making this and keep up the hard work.

[@chandanapieris7473]

David, you have one of the best music learning channels on KZbin. Thank you.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊 that means a lot!

[@gregerolsson1713]

I must have lived face down in a moon crater to have missed this channel. Insta-subbed. 👏🏻

[@stratonarrow]

When you said “Mixolydian b6 is the 5th mode of the melodic minor scale,” my brain absolutely exploded. Holy cow it makes sense now.

[@Freudenfreude1]

Get this guy to a million subs. These videos are so damn informative ❤😊

[@aptelbruno8316]

I love this mode. Thank you for the original details.

[@JohnLloydDavis]

As I'm watching the part of the video where your cat makes an appearance, my cat is sat beside me shouting to get my attention as I'm typing this :)

[@pablomontesinos6852]

It's funny that I was using this scale for one of my student's lesson. And I got the notification of this. Cool!

[@MagnusThorJonsson-v8z]

The mixolydian flat 6 is the mullet of scales. Minor in the front, major in the back Edit: I absolutely love that the cat jumped up and even more that you kept it in the video

[@grilch]

Hi we're old. That was one of your very best videos. Thanks.

[@alexandrakozlova2494]

I am happy that I find this video, thank you!!!!!! And a moment with a talented cat is funny cat 😺🐈 🎶

[@Chunda8]

Thanks for this David, I'm doing the RPM Challenge this year and this was right on time. The Fragile is one of my favorite albums of all time, thanks for illuminating its core track in this way. I wish you had been on faculty when I was at music school, I would've gotten all of it.

[@mbcarlson]

Great video, David! I learned a lot here. I’ve always wondered what scale “Politik” by Coldplay is in, and today I now know it’s Mixolydian b6. Thank you.

[@kevinblouin8873]

Hello Matt Carlson ! In my opinion "Politik" is not Mixolydian b6. The chord progression on the first part is "V i" (C7 Fm) and not "I iv". The second part of the song is a "i | bVI6 | bIII | bIII bVII | and it ends on the "i" (Fm). Also, if you listen to the melody The verse melody has an "A" on the C7 (it should be an "Ab" to be mixolydian b6). The chorus melody has an "Eb" on the word "eyes" on the C7. So I would say this is F minor with some liberties. For sure, it's a great song ! (I'm french, sorry if my english is not perfect)

[@Jimmyjames738]

Fantastic video, David. I wasn’t familiar with this scale. This opens up doors ✌️

[@Nerddaquimica]

The cat at the end, so beautiful ❤

[@elreydelbarrio4841]

My favorite scale so far

[@grtchldy6561]

Doesn’t matter what your doing, a cat has to be a part of it! Great work on this video. Thanks, keep it coming.

[@thomasmoss9042]

I appreciate the sigh you give after Millie's entrance.

[@jan-ovepedersen5764]

Your cat is a musical genius, the note added made my day 🙂

[@longlegjim3182]

Good Days by SZA is a wonderful example of using E mixolydian flat6 Every so often the plucked strings change from E Major to E mixolydian flat6 for a bar making for such a melancholic resolution Would love to see it in a video

[@alessandrosummer]

I honestly think that Twilight uses modal interchange rather than the mixolydian b6 chords. That's because an Ab6 chord features a Eb, not a E natural that you'd get in the mixolydian b6 scale

[@unstabilizer]

Man your videos are just great! Thank you so much for these! And I completely agree with you on Aeolian Dominant being a jarring name! It was the same for me when I heard that name for the first time considering how the 3rd is the defining characteristic of whether the scale is Major or minor, Mixo b6 is much much better! And Millie's notes were great! ;)

[@sschmidtevalue]

You could have easily done another take, but you left the cat's contribution in place. Love that!

[@MaayanMorMusic]

Great video! A very cool example of this scale, in my opinion, is the lullaby from The Prince of Egypt's song "Deliver us".

[@metalore]

Thanks for this!

[@evansox8137]

This was just so endlessly interesting. Thank you!

[@Acid0999]

Your composition made me realize what youve been Talking the whole time, that it sounds both sad and happy. I just really noticed it, although I theoretically knew it, but its kinda fascinating! When I think it sounds happy, it does, but when I think it sounds Sad, it also does! Just like the scale is reading your mood or mind :D Of course thats not the case, but I just find it fascinating somehow and that Video made me remember how beautiyful music can be :)

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

I think I just figured out why Jazz musicians used to call each other cats; listen to those note choices 😂😂

[@glennpagemusic]

That's brilliant.

[@liquidsolids9415]

Fantastic job of teaching this concept, as usual. Thank you!

[@battleframestudios8989]

The modal interchange done by your cat was genius!

[@fruduruk]

Amazing how millie knew exactly what was missing in your composition

[@enricobocchio5539]

enjoyed the video, it gives easy explanations and a lot's of points of view.

[@luizmarcondesmusica]

I just found your channel, great video!

[@wouterdesmedt1736]

Yes! More uncommon scale videos! And more cats!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊🐱🐱🐱

[@TheRapturerocks]

That Joe Edelmann cover of My Iron Lung is so good I thought it was Radiohead live until I read the caption.

[@matcoffidis1135]

I just love that minor 4 chord. Might be my favorite next to a major 2 chord (in a major scale, Like D major in C). I first was aware of it in Beatles songs like I'll Follow the Sun and Nowhere Man, but I hear it in any song and it always sticks out to me. Cool video and I liked your cat butting in at the end....😁

[@toddpacker4683]

It’s amazing

[@roziceruza]

You did an amazing job explaining this. Thank you!

[@Ykoz26]

Excellently done once again, thank you very much David.

[@chrismorgan7494]

I absolutely love this scale and I sneak it in anywhere I can.

[@michaelmcinerney8988]

I'd love to hear your take one day on the sort of modern school of thought that canonizes melodic/harmonic minor as de facto scales with related modes, and the original intent of them in classical music where they were mostly alterations to support more typical cadences. I've seen other communities where this is debated hotly, though personally, I'm in the camp of being pro-melodic/harmonic with related modes, as I really enjoy the creative possibilities they've inspired in people in creating non-traditional compositions/harmonies, etc.

[@nightsurvivor3673]

I would love to see a video on Arabic Maqam or Indian Raga; it would be amazing to learn about those modes and what makes them the way they are. There'll also be some microtonal stuff in a few maqams, too!

[@eduardotrillo3519]

excellent, as always! thanks!

[@wavertreetv]

very interesting. A bit beyond my knowledge but I just about followed it and it's always interesting to be pushed outside your comfort zone. Thanks for posting this.

[@julianhartl9062]

Yes, time for more ELO! Jeff Lynne is such a genius.

[@rp7773]

A great example of Mixolydian flat 6 is Wonderboy by Tenacious D - that's the first example I ever encountered and was captured by. Also Remember Me from Coco has the same vamp.

[@mintegral1719]

Omg yes, this is my favorite scale

[@radiozelaza]

Oh I love that scale for all my epic filmy compositions

[@IAmMyOwnGod666]

The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen is a fantastic example of a song that uses this scale imo.

[@michaelkonomos]

Nine Inch Nails!!! thank you SO much for covering this. My favorite band. SO underrated.

[@neilwalsh1213]

I like your piece!

[@NomeDeArte]

Super interesting, thank you!

[@SingSkateScream]

New sub. Thank you so much for what you do!

[@efstratiosanagnostopoulos6636]

This is a mode of the melodic minor. It is very much used in spanish music (see Aranjuez adagio, De Falla's music etc). A great scale to mix with flamenco scale (phrygian over major tonic, phrygian dominant again over major tonic etc)

[@LoraCoggins]

"I Beg You" by Aimer is in Mixolydianb6.

[@Lefty7788tinkatolli]

Been waiting for a David Bennett Piano video on this scale for at least a year!

[@alexblake3818]

Brilliant work and exceptional examples!

[@andydinesguitar]

Great outside playing from Millie!😸

[@timjohnson2186]

Great video david

[@mathieuguillet4036]

Excellent! Thank you.

[@letsgetcarriedaway]

this is really interesting! I recently wrote out all the modes of major, melodic minor, and harmonic minor. I ran into some inconsistencies with naming, like mixolydian b6 or b13, or Dorian b2 or b9. I settled on naming the tone in question after when the chord built off the tonic first encounters it. So it would go mixolydian b13, Dorian b9, Ionian #5, Dorian #11 etc, Aeolian b5, etc.

[@leeanderson9486]

Nice duet with the kitten!

[@Yupppi]

A major minor. There you go. Looks like Millie had a lot to say, both vocally and musically.

[@JunScunthorpe]

Awoken by H8_Seed is what introduced me to this scale and music theory as a whole. Uses the scale as its home sort of as a bridge between major and minor. As the scale is so smack dab inbetween major and minor, a little bit of modal mixture lets the song's vocal melody/harmony use all ten notes that would collectively belong to D major and D minor without being too jarring. I personally call it the emo scale because that's how it's used more often than not in western music hahaha. Jonestown by Post Malone is another good example of it.

[@foodank_atr817]

The piece at the end and maybe the scale itself is reminiscent of the deep ocean, both welcoming and foreboding, the beauty hiding a dark threat just beneath.

[@robertstevensii4018]

1:19 sounds like some music one might hear at a queen's funeral, or perhaps at a milk bar

[@ocdmusic]

I really think I need to learn some music theory but I don't know if it would even make sense to me bleh I think I might have made a little mixolydian scale tune earlier tonight? Honestly I dunno Id really need help figuring it out, maybe on another day it will make more sense but still enjoyed the video. I think it def would help if I understood it more, where to start? :| I do think the cat outshone you though in the end!! I love when people have their cats in their non cat themed videos.

[@Mathemusician97]

Politik by Coldplay is in Mixolydian b6. Its main chord vamp is from C7 to Fm which uses all the notes of the C mixolydian b6 scale.

[@KozakuraRabbit]

This scale was used in the song Sugar by Sleep Token

[@pandorathepenguin3236]

Your cat is really good at modal interchange!

[@grantmoretti]

My go to scale! Didn’t know it had an official classification tbh. Found out about just from listening to The Pixies (and Nirvana and the Pumpkins + a bunch of other 90s acts; seems like a under the surface trend from around then). Very useful in writing, at least personally, especially when trying to throw in a model interchange, the major 4 to minor 4 either back to back or separated by another chord lends to an easy shift in mood without sounding too out of place. Plus bouncing between them lends for a lottt of exploration with distinct vocal melodies. Truth be told I use it so much I’m likely more familiar with this scale at this point than any other!

[@StratsRUs]

Going from a 1 Major to a iv minor would be modal interchange ? Like Echo and The Bunnymen's Killing Moon ? I'm confused by this.

[@grantmoretti]

@@StratsRUs Truth be told I'm not sure if it's the right term, that's just what I recognize it as. Basically I just mean being able to combine major and minor scales together and bounce between them in the same song. And I was mostly talking about two variations of the same chord, i.e. having a 4 major and 4 minor

[@wyattstevens8574]

@@StratsRUs The I is from major, the iv from minor. That's what he means.

[@Chenco29]

Thanks for the lesson! Very helpful :)

[@pantheon777]

Oh yay, I was hoping someone cover this scale (as well as some of the other more unusual scales --like Dorian b2, and Mixolydian b2 etc.)

[@pantheon777]

Also, I wonder what Taylor Swift would sound like in this scale.

[@natesmith5640]

I think the best example of the Mixolydian b6 / Aeolian Dominant scale is the main theme from The Prince of Egypt soundtrack! It's got that perfect blend of light and dark and that sound is woven into the whole movie's soundtrack! It's so yummy😁😁😁

[@Pruitt325]

Interesting perspective on the I iv progression as being related to aeolian dominant. I always associated it with harmonic major or mode mixture instead, but this is another cool way of viewing it.

[@davidsummerville351]

Great info, thanks

[@milehin333]

mixolydian b6!! that makes so much sense! Whenever I heard this i always interpreted it as just a song in a minor key with multiple picardy thirds, but this makes much more sense!