Mixolydian mode: notes, sound and examples

Mixolydian is the fifth mode of the major scale. It sounds major, since its third is major, but its seventh degree is lowered by a half step. That one change turns the bright, resolved major scale into something relaxed, earthy and a little bluesy. It is the scale of the dominant seventh chord.

The Mixolydian formula

In steps, Mixolydian is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole: W-W-H-W-W-H-W. As scale degrees it is 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7. It is the major scale with the seventh lowered. Because the top note is a whole step below the tonic and not a half step, there is no leading tone.

The characteristic note is the lowered seventh. In G Mixolydian, F natural replaces the F♯ of G major.

How to build Mixolydian in any key

1. Write the major scale of the tonic.
2. Lower the seventh note by a half step.
3. Or: find the major scale a perfect fourth above your tonic, and play its notes starting from your tonic.

The second route gives the key signature: G Mixolydian uses the notes of C major, C Mixolydian uses the notes of F major, and D Mixolydian uses the notes of G major. The tonic is the fifth note of the major key, counting up.

How it sounds

Mixolydian sounds major with a relaxed, easygoing edge. Without a leading tone, the scale does not strain toward the tonic, and the lowered seventh gives it a folk, blues or rock flavor. A chord pattern that moves from the tonic chord to the major chord on the lowered seventh degree (G to F in G Mixolydian) is a classic Mixolydian sound.

Where you hear Mixolydian

• Celtic and American folk tunes, including many fiddle tunes.
• Blues, rock and funk, where dominant seventh chords are everywhere.
• Rock songs that move between the major chords of the tonic, the lowered seventh and the fourth.
• Jazz, as the standard scale over a dominant seventh chord.

A well-known example is the Beatles song Norwegian Wood, whose verse melody is often analyzed as Mixolydian. Many bagpipe tunes also use it.

Using Mixolydian over chords

Mixolydian fits a dominant seventh chord, such as G7 (G B D F), because every note of the scale is in or fits the chord. It also fits a plain major chord that stays on its own and does not move to a chord a fifth below. Compared with a major scale, the only note to watch is the seventh: do not raise it unless a chord calls for it.

Mixolydian in practice

To hear Mixolydian, play a G major chord and a dominant seventh chord on G, one after the other, and then play the scale G A B C D E F G. The lowered seventh, F, is the note that is added in the dominant seventh chord, and it is the note that makes the scale sound relaxed.

A well-loved pattern is the move from the major chord on the tonic to the major chord a whole step below, such as G to F. It is easy to play on guitar, and it appears in a great many rock songs. Try it and sing a tune on the scale over it.

One more thing to try

Play the scale from G to G on the white keys and listen to how the F natural, in place of F♯, makes the ending of the scale feel unfinished, since no half step leads to the tonic. Then play a tune that ends on G, and notice how it settles all the same, with a gentle, folk-like finish.

It is one note darker than the major scale and one note brighter than Dorian. The dominant seventh chord page shows the chord on G, and all the modes gives the full picture.

Mixolydian scale in every key

Check yourself

Related pages

• Music modes: the seven modes explained
• Lydian mode: notes, sound and examples
• Dorian mode: notes, sound and examples
• Major scales: how they work in all 12 keys
• G7 chord
• Blues scale: notes, formula and sound