Compare with
D mixolydian
D major with one note lowered: C. Seven notes: D E F♯ G A B C. The same notes as G major, centred on D.
- Parent key
- G major Same notes
- Colour note
- C The flat 7th
- Repeating chords
- D – C I – ♭VII
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampDD · F♯ · A | ||||
| iiEmE · G · B | ||||
| iii°F♯°F♯ · A · C | ||||
| IVGG · B · D | ||||
| vAmA · C · E | ||||
| viBmB · D · F♯ | ||||
| ♭VIIVampCC · E · G |
Light up
What makes it mixolydian
Major, with the 7th lowered
One note separates D mixolydian from D major: C♯ becomes C. Over the same root, that turns D – C♯° into D – C.
D major
- D
- E
- F♯
- G
- A
- B
- C♯
D mixolydian
- D
- E
- F♯
- G
- A
- B
- C
Hear the difference
One chord that says mixolydian
D7 holds C, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on D
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Mixolydian is row 3 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- D lydianDEF♯G♯ABC♯♯4
- D ionian (major)DEF♯GABC♯—
- D mixolydianDEF♯GABC♭7
- D dorianDEFGABC♭3 ♭7
- D aeolian (natural minor)DEFGAB♭C♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- D phrygianDE♭FGAB♭C♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- D locrianDE♭FGA♭B♭C♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating D – C chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with C ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickD – C, two bars each, in frets 2–5. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while D – C sounds. Stay in frets 2–5.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver C, aim for C. It is the note that makes it mixolydian.80 bpmLevel 2