C♯ mixolydian
C♯ major with one note lowered: B. Seven notes: C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B. The same notes as F♯ major, centred on C♯.
- Parent key
- F♯ major Same notes
- Colour note
- B The flat 7th
- Repeating chords
- C♯ – B I – ♭VII
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampC♯C♯ · E♯ · G♯ | ||||
| iiD♯mD♯ · F♯ · A♯ | ||||
| iii°E♯°E♯ · G♯ · B | ||||
| IVF♯F♯ · A♯ · C♯ | ||||
| vG♯mG♯ · B · D♯ | ||||
| viA♯mA♯ · C♯ · E♯ | ||||
| ♭VIIVampBB · D♯ · F♯ |
What makes it mixolydian
Major, with the 7th lowered
One note separates C♯ mixolydian from C♯ major: B♯ becomes B. Over the same root, that turns C♯ – B♯° into C♯ – B.
- C♯
- D♯
- E♯
- F♯
- G♯
- A♯
- B♯
- C♯
- D♯
- E♯
- F♯
- G♯
- A♯
- B
Hear the difference
One chord that says mixolydian
C♯7 holds B, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on C♯
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Mixolydian is row 3 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- D♭ lydianD♭E♭FGA♭B♭Csame sound as C♯ lydian♯4
- C♯ ionian (major)C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯—
- C♯ mixolydianC♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♭7
- C♯ dorianC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B♭3 ♭7
- C♯ aeolian (natural minor)C♯D♯EF♯G♯AB♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- C♯ phrygianC♯DEF♯G♯AB♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- C♯ locrianC♯DEF♯GAB♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating C♯ – B chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with B ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickC♯ – B, two bars each, in frets 3–7. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while C♯ – B sounds. Stay in frets 3–7.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver B, aim for B. It is the note that makes it mixolydian.80 bpmLevel 2
Mixolydian on every root
Pick a root
Other modes of F♯ major's notes