The Mixolydian scale is not only an important tool in your improvisational toolbox, but it’s also an important demonstration of functional harmony in action. That’s why understanding how and why the Mixolydian mode works the way it does is crucial for mastering improvisation.
Luckily, we’ve prepared this detailed overview of the Mixolydian scale to help you get a better grasp of it. Here are some questions we’ll answer in this article:
- What makes the Mixolydian mode different from the other modes of the major scale?
- What is the Mixolydian mode scale formula?
- What chords can you use the Mixolydian scale over?
- How many Mixolydian scales are there?
- How do you improvise using the Mixolydian scale?
This complete guide to the Mixolydian scale has notation, guitar tablature, and piano charts to help you visualize (and memorize) these useful scales. Plus, we’ll have audio examples for each Mixolydian scale so you can hear them in action!
But, before we get started?…
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Table of Contents
What Is the Mixolydian Scale?
The Mixolydian scale is a very versatile scale that musicians frequently use across many musical genres. You’ll hear this unique scale everywhere, from rock music and blues to jazz and popular music.
But what gives this scale a unique sound?
Structurally, this scale is nearly identical to the major scale but with one note difference. Instead of a major seventh interval for the seventh scale degree, the Mixolydian scale has a minor seventh interval.
So, instead of C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, a C Mixolydian scale would be spelled C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C. The last note of the scale is a whole step away from the next root note instead of a half step like the regular major scale.
If you are familiar with sharps, flats, and key signatures, you’ll recognize that C Mixolydian, having one flat (Bb), has all the notes that the key of F major has. This is by design, as the C Mixolydian scale is the fifth mode of F major.
If this concept is confusing, that’s okay! Stick with me for a few moments…
The Mixolydian Scale is a Mode of the Major Scale
I remember being a teenager learning guitar and being utterly confused by the concept of modes.
I knew how to play major scales but couldn’t quite grasp that next level. I was told that the major scale contains all the modes, but I struggled to picture how…
…That is until it was explained to me like this.
The major scale is a sequence of notes, usually shown like so (we’ll use C as an example because it has no sharps or flats and is comprised of only white keys on the piano):
C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
In reality, though, the sequence continues down and up the scale. It isn’t a static, seven-note thing. Therefore, a more realistic way to write it is like this:
…C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C…
When you zoom out and see the big picture, it becomes easy to see all the other modes within the parent scale. The scale is just a sequence of seven notes, and the different modes emerge from the parent scale when you start on a specific scale degree and follow the sequence through.
Therefore, the modes from the major scale all share the same notes but start on different notes in the sequence. These notes are the scale degrees of the major scale. These major scale degrees determine the characteristics of the particular mode you are playing.
Each mode also shares the same tonality with its corresponding chord built from the same scale degree.
The I chord in a major key is major. Not surprisingly, the 1st mode of the major scale is a major scale. (This is because chords and scales are two ways of presenting the same musical idea or pitch environment).
We’ll keep it simple and use the key of C Major to explain the musical modes.
Check it out:
C Ionian Mode
The Ionian scale is the first mode, which starts on the first note in the C major scale. (It is C major, after all)
…C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C…
Ionian Mode Formula:
- W-W-H-W-W-W-H
Corresponding Seventh Chord:
- I Chord or Cmaj7
Check out this article for more on the major scale.
D Dorian Mode
The Dorian scale is the second mode, starting with C Major’s second note.
…D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D…
Dorian Mode Formula:
- W-H-W-W-W-H-W
Corresponding Seventh Chord:
- ii Chord or D-7
Check out this article for more on the Dorian scale.
E Phrygian Mode
E Phrygian is the third mode, starting on the third note in the major scale.
…E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E…
Phrygian Mode Formula:
- H-W-W-W-H-W-W
Corresponding Seventh Chord:
- iii Chord or E-7
Check out this article for more on the Phrygian scale.
F Lydian Mode
The Lydian scale is the fourth mode of the major scale, starting on the fourth note in the scale.
…F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F…
Lydian Mode Formula:
- W-W-W-H-W-W-H
Corresponding 7th Chord:
- IV Chord or Fmaj7
Check out our article on the Lydian scale.
G Mixolydian Mode
The Mixolydian scale, also known as the dominant scale, is the fifth mode of the major scale and starts on the fifth note.
…G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G…
Mixolydian Mode Formula:
- W-W-H-W-W-H-W
Corresponding 7th Chord:
- V chord or G7
Aeolian Mode
The Aeolian scale, or the natural minor scale, starts on the sixth note of the major scale.
…A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A…
Aeolian Mode Formula:
- W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Corresponding 7th Chord:
- vi Chord or A-7
Check out this article for more on the Aeolian scale.
Locrian Mode
The Lociran scale is the seventh mode, which starts on the seventh note of the major scale.
Locrian Mode Formula:
…B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B…
- H-W-W-H-W-W-W
Corresponding Seventh Chord:
- viiø Chord or B-7b5
Check out this article for more on the Locrian scale.
Hopefully, that helps you picture how musical modes function! If you’d like to know more about the modes, check out our ultimate guide to musical modes.
The Mixolydian Scale Formula, Dominant Chords, and Music Theory
The Mixolydian scale formula reveals everything we need to know about why the Mixolydian mode has unique characteristics and musical utility. When you start the major scale sequence on the fifth degree, you get a seven-note scale with a major third and a flattened seventh.
All 12 Mixolydian Scales on Guitar and Piano
Here is the Mixolydian scale in all 12 keys! Be sure to commit these to memory!
Listening Tip: Use the audio recordings to hear the major tonality of the scale, but focus on the minor seventh interval at the very end.
C Mixolydian Scale (F Major Scale)
C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C
F Mixolydian Scale (Bb Major Scale)
F-G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F
Bb Mixolydian Scale (Eb Major Scale)
Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb
Eb Mixolydian Scale (Ab Major Scale)
Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb
Ab Mixolydian Scale (Db Major Scale)
Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE...
If music theory has always seemed confusing to you and you wish someone would make it feel simple, our free guide will help you unlock jazz theory secrets.
C# Mixolydian Scale (F# Major Scale)
C#-D#-E#-F#-G#-A#-B-C#
F# Mixolydian Scale (B Major Scale)
F#-G#-A#-B-C#-D#-E-F#
B Mixolydian Scale (E Major Scale)
B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A-B
E Mixolydian Scale (A Major Scale)
E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D-E
A Mixolydian Scale (D Major Scale)
A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A
D Mixolydian Scale (G Major Scale)
D-E-F#-G-A-B-C-D
G Mixolydian Scale (C Major Scale)
G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G
How To Use The Mixolydian Scale in Jazz Improvisation
Now that you have all 12 Mixolydian scales, you can apply them in improvisational settings! To get a real feel for how Mixolydian works, you’ll need to practice these scales in real musical situations, either with other musicians or with backing tracks.
Let’s review some common improv situations where you can use this scale!
Blues Chord Progressions
Mixolydian scales, built from the fifth scale degree and associated with dominant chords, are the basic scale used over blues chord progressions. Every chord is dominant in a simple blues chord progression, so it makes sense that you’d use a dominant scale over those changes.
Check out the following C Blues progression:
The chords are:
- C7 (I7 chord): C Mixolydian
- F7 (IV7 chord): F Mixolydian
- G7 (V7 chord): G Mixolydian
Playing Over the V Chord in a ii-V-I Chord Progression
The ii-V-I chord progression is probably the most common chord progression found in jazz music—there are entire jazz standards built out of a series of ii-V-I progressions.
Diatonic ii-V-I Chord Progressions
The Roman numerals in “ii-V-I” refer to the diatonic chords in a particular key.
- The ii chord
- The V chord
- The I chord
These diatonic chords never leave their parent key. A ii-V-I chord progression in C major looks like this:
- ii chord—D-9 (D-7 with an E added to the voicing)
- V chord—G13 (G7 with an E added to the voicing)
- I chord—Cmaj9 (Cmaj7 with a D added to the voicing)
When improvising, you can approach this by connecting each diatonic chord to its mode.
- ii chord = Dorian Mode
- V chord = Mixolydian Mode
- I chord = Ionian Mode
But you may think, “Isn’t that just the C major scale over all three chords?”
The simple answer is yes, but the more complicated (and correct) answer is not really. By playing the right mode over each chord, you emphasize the tones comprising each chord (the root note, third note, fifth note, and seventh note).
Look at the following lick over a diatonic ii-V-I progression:
- D-9 (Primary chord tones in yellow with chord extensions in parenthesis)
- Root, 3rd, 5th, (9th)
- G7 (Primary chord tones in green with chord extensions in parenthesis)
- Root, 3rd, 5th, (9th)
- Cmaj9 (Primary chord tones in red with chord extensions in parenthesis)
- Root, 5th, 7th, (9th)
By using specific modes, you can better hit the chord tones for each chord on the downbeats in each bar. This helps improvisers be more specific when playing over changes instead of winging the whole two-bar phrase in C major.
When the Mixolydian Mode Isn’t Enough
You’ll start to notice quickly that this scale, while a great foundational scale, doesn’t have quite the same “oomph” to it as other scale options. Because this scale is diatonic, you won’t be able to hit all those wonderfully colorful altered chord tones and extensions found in jazz music and the blues.
However, those wonderfully altered sounds can be found in the modes of the melodic minor scale and the harmonic minor scale.
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