A Mixolydian scale
- Notes
- A B C# D E F# G
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Steps
- W W H W W H W (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- A Mixolydian mode, A dominant scale
Seven notes from A up to the next A. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
A Mixolydian on the piano
From A4 to A5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from A
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | root | 0 |
| B | 2 | major second | 2 |
| C# | 3 | major third | 4 |
| D | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| E | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| F# | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| G | b7 | minor seventh | 10 |
A Mixolydian on the guitar
Standard tuning, high e on top as in tablature, open strings to fret 12. Every dot is a note of the scale; the pattern repeats from fret 12 up.
The seven chords of A Mixolydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on A, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | A C# E | |
| ii | Bm | B D F# | |
| iii° | C#dim | C# E G | |
| IV | D | D F# A | |
| v | Em | E G B | |
| vi | F#m | F# A C# | |
| bVII | G | G B D |
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
A Mixolydian uses exactly the same notes as C# Locrian, D major, E Dorian, F# Phrygian, G Lydian and B natural minor. What changes is the note the music keeps returning to, and with it which chord sounds like home.
Same notes as the key of D major: the chords are the same seven, but with A as home.
How A Mixolydian is built
Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th: against A major, G# becomes G. It has the same notes as D major, played from its 5th note, which is why it fits the dominant seventh chord on its root, A7. The major chord a whole tone below the root, G, going to A is the classic rock and folk Mixolydian move.
Played some notes and not sure which scale they come from? The scale finder listens to the piano, a MIDI keyboard or the microphone and ranks all 180 scales.
What this page cannot do
- One spelling per scale. the root is spelled the way that needs the fewest sharps and flats.
- Equal temperament only. Blues and many folk traditions bend notes between these pitches, and Arabic and Turkish maqam scales use quarter tones that a piano cannot play.
- The guitar diagram shows standard tuning only and does not suggest fingerings; any note can be played in several places.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, not a recorded instrument.