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

Formula: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in E major.

E mixolydian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415F#G#ABC#DF#ABC#DF#G#ABDF#G#ABC#DG#ABC#DF#G#ABC#DF#G#ABC#DF#G#ABC#DF#
E Mixolydian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (E).
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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

EADGBe101112131415DF#G#ABC#DF#G#AABC#DDF#
E Mixolydian Mode, box 1
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

EADGBe123456F#G#AABC#DDF#G#G#ABC#BC#DF#G#A
E Mixolydian Mode, box 2
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

EADGBe345678G#ABC#DF#G#ABC#DDF#G#AB
E Mixolydian Mode, box 3
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

EADGBe5678910ABC#DDF#G#ABC#DF#G#AABC#D
E Mixolydian Mode, box 4
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

EADGBe8910111213C#DF#G#ABC#DF#G#G#ABC#D
E Mixolydian Mode, box 5
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:

All songs in E major →

Other scales in E

Mixolydian Mode in other keys

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.