Guitar scales › Mixolydian Mode
E Mixolydian Mode – Guitar
A major scale with a flat 7th: the sound of rock riffs, blues-rock and jam bands over dominant chords. Here it is in E: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.
Notes in the E mixolydian mode
- E1
- F♯2
- G♯3
- A4
- B5
- C♯6
- Db7
Formula: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in E major.
E mixolydian mode on the whole neck

Know the scale?
Now solo with it.
A guitar soloing course: 81 short lessons, each one ends with you jamming over a real backing track.
- From 3 notes to your own solos
- Every note on the neck, with sound and TAB
- 379 backing tracks in every key
The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB
Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.
Box 1 · frets 10–15
e|-------------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------10-12-14-15----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------------| D|-------------------11-12-14-------------------------------| A|----------11-12-14----------------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 1–6
e|---------------------------------2-4-5-| B|---------------------------2-3-5-------| G|-------------------1-2-4-6-------------| D|-------------2-4-6---------------------| A|-------2-4-5---------------------------| E|-2-4-5---------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 3–8
e|-------------------------------4-5-7-| B|-------------------------3-5-7-------| G|-------------------4-6-7-------------| D|-------------4-6-7-------------------| A|-------4-5-7-------------------------| E|-4-5-7-------------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 5–10
e|----------------------------------------------------5--7--9--10-| B|----------------------------------------5--7--9--10-------------| G|-------------------------------6--7--9--------------------------| D|----------------------6--7--9-----------------------------------| A|-------------5--7--9--------------------------------------------| E|-5--7--9--10----------------------------------------------------|
Box 5 · frets 8–13
e|----------------------------------------------9--10-12-| B|-------------------------------------9--10-12----------| G|----------------------------9--11-13-------------------| D|-------------------9--11-12----------------------------| A|----------9--11-12-------------------------------------| E|-9--10-12----------------------------------------------|
E major backing track
Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.
Slow blues backing track in E major – Beardly Jam Tracks
Songs in E major
These songs are in E major, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:
- Photograph – Ed Sheeran
- Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
- Hey Soul Sister – Train
- Where Is My Mind – Pixies
- Talking To The Moon – Bruno Mars
- First Day Of My Life – Bright Eyes
- Need You Now – Lady A (Lady Antebellum)
- Dont Stop Believin – Journey
- Dont Think Twice Its All Right – Bob Dylan
- Under The Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Payphone – Maroon 5
- What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
Other scales in E
- E Minor Pentatonic Scale
- E Major Pentatonic Scale
- E Blues Scale
- E Major Blues Scale
- E Major Scale
- E Natural Minor Scale
- E Dorian Mode
- E Phrygian Mode
- E Lydian Mode
- E Harmonic Minor Scale
- E Melodic Minor Scale
Mixolydian Mode in other keys
- C Mixolydian Mode
- D♭ Mixolydian Mode
- D Mixolydian Mode
- E♭ Mixolydian Mode
- F Mixolydian Mode
- F♯ Mixolydian Mode
- G Mixolydian Mode
- A♭ Mixolydian Mode
- A Mixolydian Mode
- B♭ Mixolydian Mode
- B Mixolydian Mode
Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.
FAQ
What notes are in the E mixolydian mode?
E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D. The formula is 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7.
Where do I start playing the E mixolydian mode on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 10–15. The root note E is on the low E string at fret 12.