D Mixolydian scale
- Notes
- D E F# G A B C
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Steps
- W W H W W H W (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- D Mixolydian mode, D dominant scale
Seven notes from D up to the next D. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
D Mixolydian on the piano
From D4 to D5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from D
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 1 | root | 0 |
| E | 2 | major second | 2 |
| F# | 3 | major third | 4 |
| G | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| A | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| B | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| C | b7 | minor seventh | 10 |
D 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 D Mixolydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on D, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
D Mixolydian uses exactly the same notes as C Lydian, E natural minor, F# Locrian, G major, A Dorian and B Phrygian. What changes is the note the music keeps returning to, and with it which chord sounds like home.
Same notes as the key of G major: the chords are the same seven, but with D as home.
How D Mixolydian is built
Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th: against D major, C# becomes C. It has the same notes as G major, played from its 5th note, which is why it fits the dominant seventh chord on its root, D7. The major chord a whole tone below the root, C, going to D 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.