ArpeggiosEN

Scale

E mixolydian

Major scale modes

Formula
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Notes
E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D

Notation

44123456♭71

Fretboard — frets 0–24

E mixolydian — frets 0 to 24, 89 notes, roots in orange123456♭7123456♭7156♭7123456♭7123453456♭7123456♭712♭7123456♭7123456♭7456♭7123456♭71234123456♭7123456♭710123456789101112131415161718192021222324
E mixolydian — frets 0 to 24, 89 notes, roots in orange123456♭7123456♭7156♭7123456♭7123453456♭7123456♭712♭7123456♭7123456♭7456♭7123456♭71234123456♭7123456♭710123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1Eperfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
2F♯major second2The major second — a bright neighbour a whole step above the root; in sus2 it replaces the third, so the chord commits to neither major nor minor.
3G♯major third4The major third — the bright note that makes a quality major; it defines the chord's colour and pulls gently toward the root.
4Aperfect fourth5The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging.
5Bperfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
6C♯major sixth9The major sixth — the hopeful note that separates dorian and m6 from their darker cousins; it sits a whole step above the fifth.
♭7Dminor seventh10The minor seventh — the dominant's engine; a whole step under the root, it turns a triad into a 7 chord and drives the resolution.

About this scale

Mixolydian is the fifth degree of the major scale: the major pattern with a flattened seventh. That flat seventh turns the leading tone into a relaxed whole-step below the root, so the scale sounds like a major key that has stopped worrying. It is the scale of the dominant seventh chord and the natural language of blues, rock, funk and country soloing over a static major chord. The major third keeps it bright while the flat seventh keeps it earthy. Because there is no leading tone, melodies can rest on the flat seventh without demanding resolution. Listen for the major third and flat seventh together.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the flat seventh and let it rest instead of resolving.
  • Improvise a blues phrase over a static major chord and land on the flat seventh.
  • Compare it with ionian and hear the leading tone disappear.
  • Play the scale over a dominant seventh chord and accent the flat seventh.