Modes · Mixolydian
The Mixolydian mode
Major, but relaxed and bluesy: rock, folk, Celtic. Mixolydian is the major scale with a lowered 7th (B♭ in C Mixolydian). The ♭7 takes away the major scale's pull home, so it sounds easy-going rather than resolved. Hear it over its own chords, in any key.
Jam: start the loop, then play the computer keys A S D F G H J K L: each one is the next note of the scale, so nothing you play is wrong. Or click the lit keys.Jam: start the loop and tap the lit keys. They’re all in the scale, so nothing you play is wrong.
The notes: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
G Mixolydian is G A B C D E F: G to G on the white keys, the notes of C major. Its colour comes from the F, lit in the tool.
Its home chord is a dominant 7th: G7 in G Mixolydian.
Where you hear it
The ♭VII – I move (F to G in G Mixolydian) is a rock and folk staple: the Beatles' Norwegian Wood is in Mixolydian, as are countless Irish and Scottish fiddle tunes and the American old-time tune Old Joe Clark. It's also the scale that fits a dominant 7th chord, so it's all over the blues and jazz.
Its neighbours
From brightest to darkest, the modes go Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian. Mixolydian sits between Ionian and Dorian. Compare them all from the same note on the modes page.
Mixolydian in every key
| Scale | Notes | Same notes as |
|---|---|---|
| C Mixolydian | C – D – E – F – G – A – B♭ | F major |
| D♭ Mixolydian | D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭ | G♭ major |
| D Mixolydian | D – E – F♯ – G – A – B – C | G major |
| E♭ Mixolydian | E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ | A♭ major |
| E Mixolydian | E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ – D | A major |
| F Mixolydian | F – G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ | B♭ major |
| F♯ Mixolydian | F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B – C♯ – D♯ – E | B major |
| G Mixolydian | G – A – B – C – D – E – F | C major |
| A♭ Mixolydian | A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ | D♭ major |
| A Mixolydian | A – B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G | D major |
| B♭ Mixolydian | B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ | E♭ major |
| B Mixolydian | B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A | E major |
Exploring modes on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that drifts. Then it shows you how it should go.
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Questions people ask
What are the notes of G Mixolydian?
G, A, B, C, D, E, F: the white keys from G to G, the notes of C major.
What is the formula for the Mixolydian mode?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ♭7. Mixolydian is the major scale with a lowered 7th (B♭ in C Mixolydian).
What does the Mixolydian mode sound like?
Major, but relaxed and bluesy: rock, folk, Celtic. Its home chord is a dominant 7th: G7 in G Mixolydian.
How do I find Mixolydian in any key?
Start the major scale on its 5th note. Or play the major scale from your root and lower the 7th. The table on this page has all twelve.