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The Mixolydian Mode

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In this course we will be taking an in-depth look at the fifth mode of the major scale, the Mixolydian mode. This is one of the most useful modes to know and it's frequently used in all styles music, making it an important mode to get under your belt. We'll be focusing on learning the G Mixolydian mode in this course, which belongs to the home key of C major. We'll begin by learning to play it all over the fingerboard using the 'content over patterns' method, after which we will work through a series of bass grooves that put the mode to use. In some of the later videos in the course we will also play some grooves that use the Mixolydian mode from other keys. By the end of this course you will be very well-acquainted with the Mixolydian mode.

1 - Introduction to the Mixolydian Mode

In this video we'll be talking about the G Mixolydian mode and discussing where it is commonly used.

2 - Playing the Mixolydian Mode

In this video we will begin playing the G Mixolydian mode all over the fingerboard. As usual, we will be employing the 'content over patterns' theory, letting the notes in the mode guide us rather than memorising fretboard patterns.

3 - Mixolydian Exercise #1

This line is a tricky funk groove that outlines the G7 chord very clearly. In the first bar the upper register tritone is preceded by two open strings, which are the fifth and root of the chord. In the second bar a hammer-on from Bb-B is played. These notes are the minor third moving to the major third and are common note choices when playing funk lines.

4 - Mixolydian Exercise #2

This is a rock groove that was recorded with a plectrum. The details are crucial to getting this line to sound right: the ghost notes, the pull-offs and the slides are all important elements.

5 - Mixolydian Exercise #3

This is a busy line that's played at a slow tempo. The fill at the end of the second bar clearly outlines the G7 tonality, whilst the turnaround line in the fourth bar drops to the third of the chord and ascends to the fifth - this is always effective over a dominant chord.

6 - Mixolydian Exercise #4

This line features descending chord tone phrases in the upper register in bars 1 and 3. The open G-string is used between them to reinforce the root note, and to allow for position shifts.

7 - Mixolydian Exercise #5

This is a slow-tempo funk groove that uses a descending four-note figure built from the chord tones of the G7 chord: B (major third), F (minor seventh), D (fifth) and G (root). This line was recorded with an envelope filter and a fuzz pedal.

8 - Mixolydian Exercise #6

This funk groove uses the F Mixolydian mode, from the home key of Bb major. This heavily syncopated line strongly features the most colourful notes in the mode: the major third (A) and the seventh (Eb).

9 - Mixolydian Exercise #7

This exercise is a slap groove that uses the D Mixolydian mode, from the home key of G. The Mixolydian mode is a popular choice for slap grooves.

10 - Mixolydian Exercise #8

This is another funk groove, this time using the E Mixolydian mode, from the home key of A major. Watch out for the tricky fill in the fourth bar.

11 - Mixolydian Exercise #9

This line is a finger-twisting Jaco-style groove that uses the F Mixolydian mode, from the home key of Bb major. The double stop in bar 2 uses the third and the seventh of the underlying dominant chord, and clearly defines the tonality.

12 - Mixolydian Exercise #10

This quick-paced groove again uses the G Mixolydian mode, from the home key of C major. This is a busy line that also features several accidentals - remember, as we are in the home key of C, any sharps or flats are accidentals.