Mixolydian, Made Simple
Mixolydian is just a major scale with one note moved. Here is how to hear it, find it on the neck, and use it over a dominant chord.
8:48 · Free lesson
One note is the whole story
Take a major scale and lower the seventh by a half step. That is Mixolydian. That flatted seventh is what gives it the bluesy, dominant flavor you hear over a 7 chord.
Because it is so close to the major scale you already know, you do not have to learn a brand-new shape. You just have to learn to hear and target that one changed note.
Where to use it
Mixolydian sits naturally over a dominant 7 chord, which is why it shows up everywhere from blues to rock to funk. When the chord is a 7, this is your scale.
Land on the chord tones and let that flat seven resolve, and the mode stops sounding like an exercise and starts sounding like music.
Key takeaways
- Mixolydian is a major scale with a lowered seventh.
- It lives over dominant 7 chords.
- Target chord tones and the flat seven so it sounds musical, not theoretical.
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