Major ScaleDegree 5

Mixolydian

Warm amber and burnt orange. Sunset on a dusty highway. bold and earthy.

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Scale NotesMixolydian in C
C
D
E
F
G
A
B♭
Interval Formula
123456♭7
Primary Chord
The tonic chord built from this mode
C7

Chord Tones

CEGA♯

All Diatonic Chords

C7Dm7Em7♭5Fmaj7Gm7Am7A♯maj7
Chord Voicings
Guitar voicings for C7
C78Root, dominant 7th, major 3rd. The dominant shell. the tritone between 3 and b7 defines the sound.
C7Root, major 3rd, dominant 7th. Compact dominant shell on inner strings.
C7Full four-note drop-2 dominant voicing. Root, 5th, b7th, 3rd with the characteristic tritone.
Fretboard

Mixolydian in C

123456789101112131415EADGBeEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFGAA♯CDEFG
RootCharacteristic toneScale tone
Listen
Audio. Mixolydian in C
Tempo:
180 BPM

Musical Context

Diatonic Context
Chords built from the F major scale — click any chord for voicings
Where to Use Mixolydian
Primary Chord
C7
Function
Dominant
Key Context
The V chord in F major

Bluesy, confident, and strong.

Related Chord Voicings
Extensions, substitutions, and simplifications for C7

Extensions

Substitutions

Simplified Voicings

Example Progressions
Progressions where Mixolydian applies (in C)
vi → ii → V
vi: Dm7ii: Gm7V: C7

The most important progression in jazz.

Practice in Play Along →
V → I → ii → V
V: C7I: Fmaj7ii: Gm7V: C7

The foundational cadential progression of Western music.

Practice in Play Along →
V → IV
V: C7IV: B♭maj7

A natural minor vamp oscillating between the tonic minor and the major chord a whole step below.

Practice in Play Along →
V → I → ii
V: C7I: Fmaj7ii: Gm7

The 12-bar blues foundation.

Practice in Play Along →
V → I → V → ii → vi → ii → V
V: C7I: Fmaj7V: C7ii: Gm7vi: Dm7ii: Gm7V: C7

A jazz reharmonization of the standard blues form.

Practice in Play Along →
Arpeggio Connection
The arpeggio that matches the C7 chord
Dominant 7th
C7
Tones
C
R
E
3
G
5
B♭
♭7
Highlighted = guide tones (define chord quality)

Sound

Bluesy, confident, and strong. Mixolydian is the dominant sound. it wants to resolve but also grooves hard on its own. Think blues-rock, Grateful Dead jams, and funky dominant vamps.

Practical Use Cases

  • ●Over dominant 7th chords
  • ●Blues and blues-rock improvisation
  • ●Funk guitar over static dominant vamps
  • ●V chord in a ii-V-I
  • ●Rock and jam-band soloing

Practical Notes

This is the major scale with a ♭7. the basic dominant scale. Use it over any dominant 7th chord when you want a 'safe,' inside sound. In a ii-V-I, Mixolydian works over the V chord. For blues, it's your bread and butter alongside the blues scale. The natural 4th is an avoid note over a dominant chord (clashes with the 3rd), so treat it as a passing tone. For more tension over dominant chords, explore Altered or Lydian Dominant.

dominantbluesrockessentialfunky

Musical Examples

Norwegian Wood
commonly-cited
The Beatles · Folk/Rock

Commonly cited as a Mixolydian folk-rock example. The melody avoids the leading tone and emphasizes the b7, giving it that characteristic Mixolydian resolution.

Fire on the Mountain
commonly-cited
Grateful Dead · Jam Band/Rock

A definitive Mixolydian jam. The two-chord vamp (I-bVII) is the quintessential Mixolydian progression, and the solos stay within the mode.

Cinnamon Girl
commonly-cited
Neil Young · Rock

The riff and solo are commonly associated with Mixolydian. The b7 gives the rock riff its raw, bluesy edge.

Practice Drills

Ascending & Descending in One PositionBeginnerTechnique
5 min

Play the mode ascending and descending within a single five-fret box. Build muscle memory and connect the sound to the shape.

Three-Notes-Per-String PatternsIntermediateTechnique
10 min

Play the mode using three notes on every string, stretching across the neck. Great for building legato technique and hearing the scale in a linear way.

Emphasize Characteristic Tones on Strong BeatsIntermediateImprovisation
10 min

Create short melodic phrases that land the mode's characteristic tone(s) on beats 1 and 3. This trains you to bring out the sound that defines the mode.

Improvise Over a Matching ChordBeginnerImprovisation
5 min

Play the mode's parent chord as a loop (or use a backing track) and improvise over it for two minutes. This connects the mode to its harmonic context.

Create 3 Licks Using Only Strings 1–3IntermediateImprovisation
10 min

Compose three short licks (2–4 beats each) using only the top three strings. This forces creativity within a constraint and builds upper-register vocabulary.

Resolve from Tension to StabilityIntermediateEar Training
8 min

Practice approaching chord tones from a half step above or below, training your ear to hear tension resolve.

Try Mixolydian in Play Along

Practice improvising over real chord changes with guided scale and target note suggestions.

Compare With

Mixolydian vs Lydian Dominant
Two dominant-quality scales from different parent families. Both have a b7 but differ on the 4th degree, giving them very different attitudes over dominant 7th chords.
Mixolydian vs Mixolydian ♭6
Two dominant scales from different families. The b6 adds a minor-key flavor to the dominant sound, creating a darker, more ambiguous dominant quality.
Altered vs Mixolydian
The maximum contrast between dominant scales. Mixolydian is the most 'inside' dominant sound; the Altered scale is the most 'outside,' with every possible tension note altered.
Ionian vs Mixolydian
The two 'bright' diatonic modes, separated by the 7th degree. One is the sound of home; the other is the sound of the blues. That single note changes the harmonic function entirely.
Mixolydian vs Phrygian Dominant
Two dominant scales from different families with very different flavors. Both serve dominant 7th chords, but Mixolydian is the everyday bluesy sound while Phrygian Dominant is the dramatic Spanish/Middle Eastern option.

Related Modes

IonianLydian DominantMixolydian ♭6

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