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When you learn guitar scales, you become able to really spice up your lead guitar playing. Once you begin to learn guitar scales, you get beyond the “blues box” or just playing by ear (which is often not all that it’s made out to be). And one of the best guitar scales to learn is the Mixolydian Mode.

As you learn guitar scales, you will realise that a scale is a set of five to seven notes that is defined by the root note. The Mixolydian mode is formed by taking the major scale, and making the fifth note the new root note to start and finish on. The distinct steps or intervals of the major scale are retained, we just start and end on the fifth note. So we now create a new sounding scale called the Mixolydian mode.

A mode is more than just the first and last note of the scale. A mode contains a distinct set of notes defined by their distance from the root note. This actually defines the mode’s feel and sound. Regardless of the key, these notes will be seperated by the same intervals or steps.

The Mixolydian mode is defined by these distinct “steps” or intervals: Root, major 2nd, major 3rd, major 4th, major 5th, major 6th, and flatted 7th. So, in the C major key the notes are: G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. If this were actually the G major scale, then the F would be sharpened, this is the only difference. The flattened 7th of the Mixolydian mode compared to the major 7th of the major scale makes the mode sound more “bluesy”.

The “key” describes the central note or tone around which a piece of music is based. The mixolydian mode can be used to solo over the G major chords in the key of C or its relative minor : A minor. The mode can also be used to solo where G is the key in itself.

The Mixolydian Mode is often used in rock music to give a solo a powerful, melodic, and bright feel. As an example; Slash used this mode for his first two solos in “Sweet Child O Mine”. Jazz guitar players often use the Mixolydian Mode to solo over a chord progression. This mode is applied to many different styles or genres of music.

When you learn guitar scales, be sure to check out the modes. The Mixolydian mode will help your solos stand out from the common pentatonic solos.

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