C Mixolydian scale
- Notes
- C D E F G A Bb
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Steps
- W W H W W H W (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- C Mixolydian mode, C dominant scale
Seven notes from C up to the next C. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
C Mixolydian on the piano
From C4 to C5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from C
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | root | 0 |
| D | 2 | major second | 2 |
| E | 3 | major third | 4 |
| F | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| G | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| A | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| Bb | b7 | minor seventh | 10 |
C 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 C Mixolydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on C, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
C Mixolydian uses exactly the same notes as D natural minor, E Locrian, F major, G Dorian, A Phrygian and Bb Lydian. What changes is the note the music keeps returning to, and with it which chord sounds like home.
Same notes as the key of F major: the chords are the same seven, but with C as home.
How C Mixolydian is built
Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th: against C major, B becomes Bb. It has the same notes as F major, played from its 5th note, which is why it fits the dominant seventh chord on its root, C7. The major chord a whole tone below the root, Bb, going to C 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.