Home / Scales / Compare / Major vs Mixolydian

C Major vs C Mixolydian

Flatten one note and a settled major scale becomes the bluesy, dominant sound of classic rock.

⇄ Open this comparison in the interactive tool →
A

C Major (Ionian)

eBGDAE3579121517EFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGA
Root2nd3rd4th5th6th7th

Notes: C – D – E – F – G – A – B  ·  Formula: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7

B

C Mixolydian Mode

eBGDAE3579121517EFGABbCDEFGACDEFGABbCDEGABbCDEFGABbCDEFGABbCDEFGABbCDEFGABbCDEFGABbCDEFGA
Root2nd3rd4th5th6th7th

Notes: C – D – E – F – G – A – Bb  ·  Formula: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7

What's the difference?

Shared notesC1D2E3F4G5A6
Only in MajorB7
Only in MixolydianBb♭7
Why it matters: Mixolydian is a major scale with a flattened 7th. Everything else is identical to major, but that one lowered note trades the major scale's leading-tone 'pull home' for a relaxed, bluesy, dominant-7th sound — which is exactly why it's the go-to scale over a static dominant groove.
Go deeper on each scale
C Major (Ionian)Scale page
Related comparisons
Major vs Natural MinorComparisonMajor vs Major PentatonicComparisonDorian vs MixolydianComparison
Hear the difference

Scales sound even better than they look.

Light either scale up across the whole fretboard and hear every note in context.

Open the Studio →