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<h1>Mixolydian Mode</h1>
<p>Mixolydian is a major scale with a flatted seventh. It's the dominant sound — the sound of a chord that wants to resolve but is comfortable where it is. Rock, blues, and country guitarists use it constantly without naming it: any time you play a major scale but hit that ♭7 note, you're in Mixolydian. It's also the natural scale for improvising over dominant seventh chords in jazz — the scale that contains all four chord tones plus the most usable extensions.</p>

<h2>Construction</h2>
<pre>
The fifth mode of the major scale — starts on the 5th degree.
G Mixolydian = C major scale starting on G:
G A B C D E F G

Formula:      1  2  3  4  5  6  ♭7
Step pattern: W  W  H  W  W  H  W

Compare to G major (Ionian): G A B C D E F# G
The F is natural in Mixolydian (F# in Ionian) — the ♭7 is the only difference.
</pre>

<h2>Mixolydian in Common Keys</h2>

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Mixolydian root</th><th>Notes</th><th>Parent major key</th><th>The ♭7</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>G Mixolydian</td><td>G A B C D E F</td><td>C major</td><td>F</td></tr>
    <tr><td>D Mixolydian</td><td>D E F# G A B C</td><td>G major</td><td>C</td></tr>
    <tr><td>A Mixolydian</td><td>A B C# D E F# G</td><td>D major</td><td>G</td></tr>
    <tr><td>E Mixolydian</td><td>E F# G# A B C# D</td><td>A major</td><td>D</td></tr>
    <tr><td>C Mixolydian</td><td>C D E F G A B♭</td><td>F major</td><td>B♭</td></tr>
    <tr><td>F Mixolydian</td><td>F G A B♭ C D E♭</td><td>B♭ major</td><td>E♭</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Mixolydian Over Dominant 7th Chords</h2>
<p>This is the core application. A G7 chord (G B D F) is entirely contained within G Mixolydian, plus the scale provides the natural extensions:</p>
<pre>
G7 chord tones: G  B  D  F
G Mixolydian:   G  A  B  C  D  E  F
                   ↑        ↑     
                   9th      13th (extensions)
                         ↑
                         11th (use carefully — can clash with B, the major 3rd)

Scale degree → chord extension:
  A = 9th (major 9th — usable, warm)
  C = 11th (perfect 11th — avoid in jazz unless substituting; clashes with major 3rd B)
  E = 13th (major 13th — very usable, bright)
</pre>

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Extension</th><th>Quality</th><th>Over G7</th><th>Use?</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>9th (A)</td><td>Major 9th</td><td>Warm, smooth</td><td>Yes — standard</td></tr>
    <tr><td>11th (C)</td><td>Perfect 11th</td><td>Slightly tense against B (major 3rd)</td><td>With care, or use as sus4</td></tr>
    <tr><td>13th (E)</td><td>Major 13th</td><td>Bright, open</td><td>Yes — standard</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Sound and Character</h2>
<p>Major but grounded, earthy, with a bluesy edge. The ♭7 prevents the leading tone pull of the major scale — without F#, G Mixolydian doesn't have the half-step pull toward the octave. This gives it a hanging, relaxed quality that the major scale's urgency lacks. Songs that sit on one dominant chord for an extended period — blues vamps, funk grooves, rock riffs — often imply Mixolydian even if nobody names it.</p>

<h2>Rock and Blues Examples</h2>

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Song</th><th>Artist</th><th>Mixolydian key</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>"Sweet Home Alabama"</td><td>Lynyrd Skynyrd</td><td>G Mixolydian (D-C-G vamp)</td></tr>
    <tr><td>"Norwegian Wood"</td><td>The Beatles</td><td>E Mixolydian</td></tr>
    <tr><td>"Hey Joe"</td><td>Jimi Hendrix</td><td>E Mixolydian (C-G-D-A-E vamp)</td></tr>
    <tr><td>"Sympathy for the Devil"</td><td>Rolling Stones</td><td>E Mixolydian</td></tr>
    <tr><td>"What I Got"</td><td>Sublime</td><td>D Mixolydian</td></tr>
    <tr><td>"Fire on the Mountain"</td><td>Grateful Dead</td><td>Mixolydian vamp</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Mixolydian in Jazz</h2>
<p>Over unaltered dominant chords (G7, A7, D7), Mixolydian is the default scale. When the chord calls for altered extensions — G7♭9, G7#11, G7alt — you move to the altered scale, Lydian dominant, or other altered options. Mixolydian is the "natural dominant" sound; the altered scales are for maximum tension before resolution.</p>
<pre>
G7 in a ii-V-I (Dm7-G7-Cmaj7):
  If you want smooth: G Mixolydian throughout G7
  If you want tension: G altered scale (maximises dissonance before Cmaj7)
  If you want middle ground: start Mixolydian, shift to altered on last beat of G7
</pre>

<h2>References</h2>
<ul>
  <li>Levine — <em>The Jazz Theory Book</em></li>
  <li>Bergonzi — <em>Inside Improvisation Series</em></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/mixolydian-mode/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jazzguitar.be — Mixolydian Mode ↗</a></li>
</ul>
