as we mentioned in our last video, the mixolydian mode is great for V chords that target major. So
today, we'll take a look at the mixolydian scale that fits V chords targeting minor.
that's the mixolydian b9 b13. the mixolydian b9 b13 is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor. so,
on step one we're going to play the harmonic minor and it's related mixolydian b9 b13 scale.
now, let's take a look at the steps and the intervalic formula, and play it from that
perspective the mixo b9 b13. It's H m3 H W H W W. and the degrees are 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 and b7.
so step two, play the mixo b9 b13 in all keys...
we can use this scale on any dominant chord that Target minor. in most cases,
you'll see these dominant chords labeled as 7b9 chords, like in this progression here. notice that
we don't necessarily have to be in a minor key the V7/2 is usually a 7b9 chord, because it targets
the ii chord (which is minor). and the same thing goes for the V/iii or the V/vi. but of course,
if you're in a minor key the primary V7 would also be a good candidate for the mixo b9 b13. an
important point to make is that the b13 is almost never included in the chord symbols. most charts
show the 7b9 chords, but very rarely 7b9b13. but that doesn't mean the b13 is not a part of the
chord. this A7b9 chord targeting the ii chord (Dm) is obviously A7b9b13 and that's because the b13 of
the V7 chord is the b3 of the target. A7's b13 is F, which is the b3 of Dm. so remember this,
every time you see a 7b9 chord targeting a minor chord, you can safely assume it's a 7b9b13 chord,
and use the mixo b9 b13 scale as your source for improvisation. in fact, if you follow us at all,
you've probably heard us talking about borrowing from minor many times. in this case,
any V7 chord - primary or secondary - could be substituted by a V7b9 chord. this property
allows us to use the mixo b9 b13 on any dominant chord. but remember, this is a one-way street,
we cannot borrow from major and replace a fV7b9 with a regular V7. that just doesn't work. there's
also a much more sophisticated point of view, which we'll discuss in a future video, in which
we can use other scales to sound like we're borrowing from minor, while at the same time,
implying that we're going to resolve to major. to achieve that we'd use the mixo b9 or the symmetric
diminished. but I'll show you this perspective some other time. in the meantime, you can check
out our video on the symmetric diminished scale. so on step three, let's play a descending mixo
b9 b13 with a chromatic passing tone, like we did on our previous scales, turning the scale
into a Bebop scale. now all the chord tones from the V7 chord are placed on the downbeats.
step four, a nice variation is to resolve the V7 chord to a
major target. now it sounds like a borrowed chord from the minor mode
on step 5, we're going to start on the 9th, but this time we don't need to add any chromatic
passing tones. do you remember how on the regular mixolydian scale we had to add a chromatic passing
tone between the 9 and the root? now there's no need to do that. check it out the mixo b9 b13,
starting on the b9, automatically gives me the chord tones on the downbeats
finally, on step six, we're going to play a line that outlines an essential upper
structure in mixolydian b9 b13: the bii minor. if you look at the G mixo b9 b13,
you can see how the Abm triad is contained inside the scale. it also gives us the best tensions the
b9 and the b13 and one of the guide tones (the 3rd). so the minor triad on the b2 (or on the b9),
is a great upper structure to outline when you're improvising on a 7b9 chord. by the way,
if you want to learn everything there is to know about upper structure triads,
we have an entire course dedicated to that exact topic. take a listen to step six...
that wraps it up for the mixolydian b9 b13 scale hope that was helpful all of our current members
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