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Progression · Rock

Mixolydian Progression

A major-key loop with a flattened seventh — bright, but with the leading tone deliberately removed.

The Progression

Key of A Mixolydian
Key
I♭VIIIV

Why It Works

Hear It Played Through

Load the whole progression into the Studio.

Drop Mixolydian straight into the interactive looper, hit play, and hear the full sequence cycle.

Play Mixolydian in the Studio →

Questions about the Mixolydian progression

What makes a progression Mixolydian rather than major?

The flattened seventh degree. A major has G♯; A Mixolydian has G natural, and building a chord on that note gives you the G major that sits at the centre of this loop. Everything else is shared with the major scale, so the mode sounds bright but noticeably less resolved.

Why does this progression feel like it can loop forever?

Because nothing in it demands resolution. A conventional major key uses its leading tone to pull the V chord into the I; with the seventh flattened, that pull is gone, so the loop can repeat indefinitely without ever sounding like it has finished.

What songs use a I-♭VII-IV?

It is one of the most common rock loops there is — the backbone of a great deal of classic and southern rock, and a staple of jam-oriented playing precisely because it sustains a groove without forcing a cadence.

Related progressions & chords

I–IV–VRock12-Bar BluesBlues AChordGChordDChord