How To Use The Mixolydian Mode

The mixolydian mode is a concept that you’ve been hearing all your life if you listen to music like the Eagles, Guns n Roses, classic Country music of the 50s and onward, and basically all over. 

The key reason for this is because rock music borrowed the bVII chord from this mode. It’s the basis behind riffs like “You Really Got Me” and “Cocaine” amongst many others. 

Let’s take G mixolydian for instance:

G mixolydian scale (5th mode of C major) = G – A – B – C – D – E – F 

C major scale = C – D – E – F – G – A – B

G (V of C) = G – B – D 

F (IV of C, bVII of G) = F – A – C 

C (I of C, IV of G) = C – E – G 

For reference compare it to the G major scale:

G major = G – A – B – C – D – E – F# 

That F# note changes many of the chords you may have created if you were in G major instead of G mixolydian. It’s hard to realize this for many of you because you’re looking at everything as scales instead of chords AND scales AND intervals. 

This one note difference changes the entire harmonic system you may be using in a song.

Now take a closer look at the intro chords of “Paradise City” by Guns n’ Roses: 

For a long time, I thought it was in G major because that’s the starting chord. This is a BIG mistake we all make when starting to analyze music, and it’s because we don’t know all the chords of a key. 

It’s a tough task, but it helps when I ask myself the question…..”What key signature has all of these chords?” 

That key is C major, as shown above, as it contains the chord tones of the three chords you see above: G, C, and F. F major is not in the key of G, but would be a bVII chord! 

Hopefully this discussion has paid off and you’re starting to see the secrets of modes a lot better now. 

Let’s check out a few more examples and see if you can spot how these are in mixolydian: 

“Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson

One flat indicates F major, and C is the V chord of F major. Bb, in the key of C major, would be a bVII chord because there is only a B natural in C major. 

C major scale = C – D – E – F – G – A – B 

F major scale = F – G – A – Bb – C – D – E 

Bb = Bb – D – F 

Bm7b5 (vii of C major) = B – D – F – A 

Here’s “Clocks” by Coldplay:

A lot of times, a mixolydian progression will start on the V chord of the respective major scale it’s in. This makes it easier to pick out. 

This song is a little trickier because it’s based out of the Ab major key/scale: 

Ab major scale = Ab – Bb – C – Db – Eb – F – G 

Eb mixolydian = Eb – F – G – Ab – Bb – C – Db 

Eb (V of Ab) = Eb – G – Bb

Bbm (ii of Ab) = Bb – Db – F 

Fm (vi of Ab) = F – Ab – C 

If you understand all of this and can see the connections, you now know why you need to learn this theory nonsense. Without a solid foundation of key signatures, chord and scale construction, and harmony, you won’t get very far beyond just learning and playing these songs. 

Here’s the last example from the Sex Pistols’s “Anarchy In The U.K.”

The progression G – G – (F – E) – (E – D) – C is kinda firmly rooted in G mixolydian, which we broke down in Paradise City. E major and D major are not part of the key as they are foreign chords, which is a type of chromaticism you can learn about in some of my other materials. 

So you already know what’s going on! G, F, and C only work together in C major. 

That’s all there is to creating a chord progression in a mixolydian scale. You have to change the order of the chords, usually starting on the V, and then mix in other chords that you want. 

The other most common use of any mixolydian scale is to play it over a 7th chord with the same chord tones as the scale, like G mixolydian for G7. 

G7 = G – B – D – F 

G Mixolydian Scale = G – A – B – C – D – E – F 

Every major scale has a dominant 7th chord built from the 5th degree when you stack the thirds that are available from the scale construction. 

This is why the scale is mentioned often in country lessons and jazz guitar lessons. 7th chords are used in those genres much more often than rock and metal music.