THE MIXOLYDIAN MODE (D/E, E7sus, G/A....)

The Mixolydian mode is built on the 5th note of a major scale. E Mixolydian would have the same notes as the A major scale (A B C D E F G) because E is the 5th scale degree of A. Therefore, E mixolydian is the notes of A major beginning on the note E: E F# G# A B C# D. An understanding of an intervallic relationship between each of these notes is necessary in order to understand the character of the mixolydian scale. To do that we must compare these notes to the standard sclae from which all music theory is derived: THE MAJOR SCALE. If we compare E mixolydian to the notes of E major we have:

E Major:



E Mixolydian

Now you can see that the only difference is that the 7^th degree is flet (lowered ½ step) in the mixolydian scale. By numbering the degrees we get a scale formula we can use which will be consistant with every mixolydian scale in every key.

Mixolydian:

You can see by this scale’s interval content that the chords possible from mixolydian are dominant 7th chord characters: E7 (1 3 5 b7), E11 or D/E (1 7 9 11), and E13 (1 3 b7 13). These are just a few of the possibilities for chords available using the mixolydian interval structure: 1 2(9) 3 4(11) 5 6(12)b7.

The most popular mixolydian chordis indoubtedly the 11th chord, which is one-whole-step higher. For E11, that would be the same as D/E (verbalized: “D over E”). Here, the D major triad is borrowing three notes from E mixolydian (Db7), F#(9) and A(11)) with the E below it functioning as the bass noteor root of the chord. Visualizing this chord as a triad over a bass note makes it easier to find these chord voicings on the guitar. Now its time to start putting all this information for mixolydian together.