D Mixolydian Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
D Mixolydian in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The D Mixolydian scale is the fifth mode of the major scale and the heart of rock and roll and blues. On Guitar, it contains the notes D, E, F#, G, A, B, C. It combines the stability of a major sound with a more relaxed, folk-like ending, perfectly suited for soloing over dominant seventh chords and providing a bluesy, soulful vibe to major-key songs. The diatonic chords of D Mixolydian are D7, Em7, F#m7b5, GMaj7, Am7, Bm7, CMaj7. Commonly used in Blues, Rock, Country, Folk, Funk. Notable players include Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, AC/DC, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Use over dominant 7th chords (7, 9, 13). The primary scale for blues-rock soloing over non-resolving dominant chords.
Notes: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5P, 6M, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Formula: W-W-H-W-W-H-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
Also known as: dominant
Diatonic Chords
D7 — Em7 — F♯m7♭5 — GMaj7 — Am7 — Bm7 — CMaj7
About Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.
Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.
Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings
Musical Character
The b7 softens the major scale's resolution, creating a 'relaxed major' that never quite lands. This is the sound of rock and roll — major but with attitude.
Chord Progressions Using This Scale
- bVI – bVII – I (Mario Cadence)World / Game Music — Triumph & Victory
- I – I – I – I – IV – IV – I – I – V – IV – I – V (12 Bar Blues)Blues — Grit & Soul
- I – bVI – bIII – bVII (Epic Borrowed Chords)Contemporary / Film — Epic & Heroic
- I – ♭VII – IV (Classic Rock Loop)Pop / Rock — Energy & Drive
- I – VI7 – II7 – V (Ragtime Cycle)Jazz / Soul — Playful & Vintage
- ♭VII – IV – I (Gospel Walk-Up)Blues — Spiritual & Uplifting
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D Mixolydian in Standard Tuning
- D Mixolydian in Drop D
- D Mixolydian in DADGAD
- D Mixolydian in Open G
- D Mixolydian in Baritone (B Standard)
- D Mixolydian in 7-string
- D Mixolydian in 8-string
- D Mixolydian in Drop C
- D Mixolydian in Drop B
- D Mixolydian in Open D
- D Mixolydian in Half Step Down
- D Mixolydian in Open E
- D Mixolydian in Open A
- D Mixolydian in Open C