The Mixolydian Mode

Alright guys, here is the last modal lesson. Finally, we end this little adventure with the Mixolydian mode. This mode is pretty similar to others I’ve covered, but as you all know by now the subtle changes are what lend each mode it’s sonic character. Here, the only scale degree that changes is the 7th. In the case of the Mixolydian mode, we simply flat the 7th scale degree. That’s all you do. So your modal formula looks like this: R, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, b7th.

So let’s have a look at this one. I haven’t started off with C in a while, so let’s jump off there. Notes for the C Mixolydian mode are C D E F G A Bb C. You could also note that Bb as an A#. Same note in the end. Now that you have the notes, let’s see how this looks on your guitar. This mode shares the same notes as what other mode? If you guessed G Dorian, you’re right. But what other mode shares the same notes? If you said D Aeolian, you’re right again. Again, these are relative modes to the C Mixolydian mode. Unlike Einstein’s relativity, this type of relativity is a lot easier to understand.

|-E-F---G--A-Bb---C----D----E-
|---C---D--E-F----G----A-Bb---
|-G---A-Bb-C----D----E-F----G-
|-D---E-F--G----A-Bb---C----D-
|-A-Bb--C--D----E-F----G----A-
|-E-F---G--A-Bb---C----D----E-

|-0-1---3-5-6---8---10----12-13----15-17-18----20----22----24-
|---1---3-5-6---8---10-11----13----15-17-18----20----22-23----
|-0---2-3-5---7---9-10----12----14-15-17----19----21-22----24-
|-0---2-3-5---7-8---10----12----14-15-17----19-20----22----24-
|-0-1---3-5---7-8---10----12-13----15-17----19-20----22----24-
|-0-1---3-5-6---8---10----12-13----15-17-18----20----22----24-

I particularly like the patterns that are available from this mode. It provides a good base for a warm up. Going way back, warming up higher on the fretboard is good because there is less distance between the frets. This is a good thing because your muscles and tendons in your hands and forearm won’t be working as hard right off the bat. Good conditioning and warm ups are key in healthy guitar playing. So let’s just work on a basic pattern here, sticking with C for now.

|-15-13-12-10---------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------15-13-11-10---------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------15-14-12-10---------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------15-14-12-10---------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------15-13-12-10---------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------15-13-12-10/8-

This example starts off on the 5th scale degree and works it’s way down, ending with a slide down to the root of C. You can also try this going back up again.
Another little exercise I like to do is play these modes in displaced octaves. All that means is that you’re playing the notes in different octaves. So it’s a bit of moving around and requires a bit of concentration to hit the notes and keep them steady. For this, you could just stick with quarter notes. That way, you can just count 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. I’ll stay with C Mixolydian here.

|-8-----13---------8-
|-------------10-----
|-----9--------------
|--------------------
|---5------10--------
|----------------6---
  4 1 4  4  2  3 1 4 

Fingering here is probably the hardest. You can’t hold one position, you’re going to have to shift around a bit. I’ve included the way I do it, but it isn’t the only way.

Now that we’ve got the warm up out of the way, let’s look at the chords. These are the chords you have to work with when utilizing the Mixolydian mode. Since I’ve stuck with C so far, I’ll start there.

C        D        E        F       G        A        A#
C        Dm       Edim     F       Gm       Am       A#
C7       Dm7               Fmaj7   Gm7      Am7      A#maj7
Cadd9    Dsus2             Fadd9   Gsus2    Asus4    A#add9
Csus2    Dsus4             Fsus2   Gsus4             A#sus2
Csus4                      Fsus4                     A#maj9
                           Fmaj9

So now that we can see what chords we have to work with here, let’s arpeggiate some out.

|-------------1---------------8-----8-
|-1-----------------------------8-----
|-----------2---2-----------7-----9---
|---2-5---3---------5-0---7-----------
|-------5---------3-----7-------------
|-------------------------------------
  C     Dm    F   Gsus4 Dus2  Csus2

On a technical note, the Gsus4 chord is an inversion as it has the 4th degree on the bottom of the chord. The example ends with a Csus2 chord, but ending on the root note of C that we started with to give a finality to the example.

Now let’s have a look at some different techniques as applied to the Mixolydian mode. First, we’ll look at a sweep picking exercise making use of the E Mixolydian mode. This one will cover all 6 strings. Remember, it’s important to keep a steady rhythm.

|-14----------------------------12----------------------------
|----14----------------------14----12----------------------15-
|-------14----------------14----------13----------------16----
|----------16----------14----------------14----------16-------
|-------------16----16----------------------11----14----------
|----------------17----------------------------12-------------
  F#m            A               E                Bm

Fingering here is your main difficulty. I do it a few different ways myself when I play something like this. Experiment and find the most economical solution for you.

Next, here is a basic tapping exercise using B Mixolydian.

  T        T        T        T        T        T
|-------------------21p14h17-21p14h17-------------------
|-22p14h17-22p14h17-------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------21p14h18-21p14h18-
|-------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------

Now here is an exercise in harmonics. You’ve seen natural and tapped harmonics in a few of my past lessons. This one has a new one. These are called harp harmonics. Harp harmonics are slightly similar to tapped harmonics. You fret a note anywhere below the 12th fret (if you have a 24 fret neck, otherwise 10th fret for 22 frets or 9th for 21 fret necks). Now find that same note an octave higher. Then place your pick hands middle finger on the string directly above the octave fretwire. While continuing to hold the lower note and keeping that middle finger above the octave fret, use the thumb on your picking hand to pluck the string as you pull away the middle finger.

It takes a bit of practice to get the technical aspect down. Pulling the finger off the string is just like performing a natural harmonic. You need the note to sound, but have the finger off the string quick enough so that you don’t end up muting the note. Say we want to do an E harp harmonic on the A string.

First, we fret the E on the A string as so:

|---
|---
|---
|---
|-7-
|---

Then, we place the picking hands middle finger on the A string above the 19th fret, directly over the fret wire.

|--------
|--------
|--------
|--------
|-7-<19>-
|--------
    Middle here

Then, we use the thumb of the picking hand to pluck the string. At that exact moment, you pull the finger off the string leaving only the 7th fret still fretted with your other hand. You’ll now have a harp harmonic. One thing you may be asking is, where do I keep my pick? Since you’re using the middle finger and not the index, I simply bend my index finger in and keep hold of the pick that way. By doing that, you can quickly go back to playing normally afterwards.

As a reminder, tapped harmonics are done by tapping the fretwire of the octave fret. So not too different from the harp harmonics. This example uses A Mixolydian.

|-------------<14>------------------------------<14>-(20)-
|-(2)--------------<15>----------------12+----------------
|-----(2)---------------<14>-12+----7+--------------------
|---------(2)------------------------------(12)-----------
|---------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------7+-----------------------
  T.H.         H.H.          N.H.           T.H. H.H. T.H.

Moving on to more conventional things, here is a riff using E Mixolydian.

|---------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------
|---------------------------------0h2-0-
|-----2---------5-----2---------5-------
|-0-0-0-0-0-5h7---0-0-0-0-0-5h7---------

This one utilizes that b7th degree to imply that there is more to this riff. By using the D at the end, you give it an almost unfinished quality. These are good riffs to change up the ending on each time to keep it interesting.

Finally, we end with a lead using G Mixolydian. This is a bit of a departure from the rock type stuff I usually do. It has it’s own feel to it.

|-17-15----12-13-----------------------------------17-15----12-13-------------
|-------13----------17-18----12-------8------------------13-------------------
|----------------14-------------14------9-------------------------14-12-------
|-------------------------15-------14-----10-10h12----------------------9-9h10
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here, I went for a stripped down approach. Just really letting the notes themselves shine without getting too into anything technical.

With that, my modal lessons come to a close. I hope you all have learned something that can prove useful to you. Modes are a great way to learn the instrument. By simply learning these 7 modes, you can not only increase your knowledge of theory, but also improvisation.

While the modes may be covered, there are a multitude of other scales out there that can be explored as well. I’m not sure yet which scale I’ll do a lesson on next. But it’s very likely that will be the next direction I’ll head in. If you have any particular scale you’d like to see, let me know and I’ll see if I can get it into a lesson. Hopefully, I can get time to do that. With moving, lately I’m very short on time. So I’ll see you all in the next week I hope.