The term mode can refer to a number of different concepts. In medieval music, for example, a mode is either a set of rhythms or an interval (the distance between two notes). In discussions of acoustics, modes can refer to the ways in which a string or air column can be made to vibrate. When guitarists speak of modes, however, they’re usually talking about a sequence of notes formed by playing the notes of a scale from different starting points.

Every scale contains modes, but guitarists typically focus on the seven Greek-named modes found in the major scale. We typically play the C-major scale beginning on the root (C) and ending on the root (Example 1a). But if you play the same set of notes starting on the second step of the scale (in this case, D), you get what’s called the Dorian mode (Example 1b). If you start on the third step of the scale (E), you get the Phrygian mode (Example 1c). Continuing up the scale, starting on the fourth step (F) gives you the Lydian mode; the fifth step (G) the Mixolydian; the sixth step (A) the Aeolian (the same as the natural minor scale); and the seventh step (B) the Locrian. Even the C-major scale played from C to C is a mode: the Ionian.

In this lesson, we’ll take a close look at one of these modes in particular—the Mixolydian—illuminating the way that musicians approach both this mode and modal playing in general. Heard in all kinds of music, Mixolydian, as you’ll soon discover, is a wonderfully diverse mode.

A Major Scale with a Flatted Seventh

To play the Mixolydian mode, start any major scale at its fifth note. The fifth note of the C-major scale is G, so playing the notes of a C-major scale from G to G gives you the G-Mixolydian mode (Example 2). It’s important to fight the urge to play a G-major scale, which includes an F# (the seventh step of the scale) instead of the Fn found in the G Mixolydian. In fact, the only difference between the major scale and the Mixolydian mode is that, in Mixolydian mode, the seventh scale tone is one half-step lower—so you can think of the Mixolydian mode as simply a major scale with a flatted seventh. Example 3a depicts the C-major scale. If you lower the seventh, B, by a half step to Bb, you’ve got the C-Mixolydian mode (Example 3b).

Mixolydian Folk Music

The Mixolydian mode can be heard in all kinds of folk music. The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók wrote a set of piano pieces called Mikrokosmos that were informed by the folk music of his native country. His Mikrokosmos Vol. 2/48 is a study in G Mixolydian in 5/8 time and sounds similar to the short 4/4 piece shown in Example 4. Use your ring and middle fingers, respectively, to play the third- and second-fret notes in the bass pattern. Play the example fingerstyle and let everything ring throughout, adding slight emphasis to the upstemmed notes to bring out the melody.

Example 5 is a phrase from the traditional American tune “Old Joe Clark” in A Mixolydian, while Example 6 is a portion of a traditional Irish jig based on the D-Mixolydian mode. Before playing each one at a brisk tempo, run through them slowly, paying close attention to the mood imparted by the Mixolydian mode. To hear how these examples would sound in major keys, try raising the seventh notes (G and C, respectively) by one half-step. And see Songbook, October 2009, for a complete arrangement of “Old Joe Clark” written in G Mixolydian (but easily shifted to A Mixolydian with the help of a capo on the second fret).

Blues and Rock Riffs

A great number of blues songs and riffs also use the Mixolydian mode. Example 7 is a standard fingerpicked accompaniment based on the I7 (E7) and IV7 (A7) chords in the key of E. The bass line for the E7 chord in the first two bars uses the E-Mixolydian mode and the bass line on the A7 chord in bars 3–4 is from the A-Mixolydian mode. The reason the Mixolydian mode works so well here is that the chords contain flatted sevenths (the D note in the E7 chord, and the G note in A7), as is very common in blues and jazz songs.

From the blues comes rock music, which is also full of examples of the Mixolydian mode, including the riff to Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” the melody of the Grateful Dead’s “Dark Star,” and the opening lick in the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).” Example 8 is inspired by the latter, which was originally played in E Mixolydian.

Mixolydian Solos and Progressions

The Mixolydian mode can be used to play solos in many genres. Example 9 shows a bluegrass run in G Mixolydian (with the addition of a chromatic passing tone, A#, in bar 2), while Example 10 demonstrates the sort of Eb-Mixolydian line a modern jazz guitarist might play over an Eb7-type chord.

In addition to melodies, riffs, and solos, the Mixolydian mode has plenty of harmonic uses. In the key of C major, for instance, the chord built on the seventh degree (B) is B diminished (B-D-F). But in C Mixolydian, the chord built on the seventh degree is Bb major (Bb-D-F). One of the most common progressions using the Mixolydian mode is I–bVII. Just think of the verse of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” the Who’s “My Generation” or the Drifters’ “On Broadway” (famously covered by guitarist George Benson). Example 11 is in the key of D major with the bVII chord of C.

In a regular major-key progression the V chord is major. But in a Mixolydian progression, the V chord is minor. This is because the third of the V chord is the seventh note of the scale, which, as you know, is flatted in the Mixolydian mode. Just think of Neil Young’s “Sugar Mountain” or U2’s “In God’s Country” and play Example 12. To compare the sound of this Mixolydian progression to that of its major cousin, play a D-major chord instead of Dm.

“Pick and Mix” is a Mixolydian étude with a melody played in harmonic sixths. Bars 1–4, 9–10, and 13–15 are all based on G Mixolydian. Bars 5 through 8 are temporarily in Bb Mixolydian with a I–bVII (Bb–Ab) progression. To fully appreciate the Mixolydian sound, try playing the example in the major mode. In the first four bars, for example, wherever you see an Fn note, play an F# (one fret higher than what’s written).