Modes & Scales
D Mixolydian
The dominant sound, rooted on D.
D E F# G A B C · 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
D1
E2
F♯3
G4
A5
B6
C♭7
D Mixolydian is a major scale with a flat 7th — the dominant sound that drives blues, country and rock over a D7 chord.
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Every 3-notes-per-string position
The idea
Major with a ♭7
D Mixolydian is D E F# G A B C. The major 3rd (F#) keeps it bright, but the 7th is flat (C, not C#). That ♭7 is what makes it dominant, not major.
- The major 3 (F#) keeps it bright.
- The ♭7 (C) gives it the bluesy pull.
- It is the scale of the D7 chord.
The color tone
The ♭7 over a dominant
Play D Mixolydian over a D7 vamp and every note fits. The ♭7 (C) is the same note living inside the D7 chord — scale and chord are one family.
- The ♭7 matches the b7 of the dominant chord.
- Resolved over D7, restless over plain D major.
- Combine the major 3 and ♭7 for the full dominant color.
Use it
Where it lives
Any tune parked on a D7 — a blues, a country shuffle, a rock riff — is Mixolydian territory. Think static dominant grooves, not changing keys.
- Use it over static D7 vamps.
- The backbone of blues and country lead.
- D Mixolydian = G major from D (the 5th mode).
Chords in D Mixolydian
Flatten the 7th of a major scale and you get the dominant sound at the heart of blues, country and rock.
Practice it in the app
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