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The Lydian and Mixolydian modes are the two other modes with a major tonality.  Today we’ll take a quick look at the similarities and differences with them and the major scale, and take a closer look at modes and chord progressions. After part 3 of this 4 part series, we’re hoping that you will a good grip on how to use modal theory in your playing and writing.

Recommend Reading

Modal Music part 1

Modal Music part 2

Scale Formula and Scale Shape: Lydian

Here’s the shape:

The formula for the Lydian mode is 1 - 2 - 3 - #4 - 5 - 6 - 7 .  We say the the Lydian mde has a major tonality because the scale contains the major chord (1 - 3 - 5) inside of the scale. The same holds true for the Mixolydian scale. You may also notice that the only difference between the major scale and the Lydian mode is that the 4th has changed to a #4th. It may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in how the scale sounds. The Lydian mode is the 4th mode of the major scale.

Scale Formula and Scale Shape: Mixolydian

Here’s the shape for the Mixolydian scale:

The formula here is 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - b7.  You’ll notice that like the Lydian mode, it is just like the major scale, but one note different: the major 7th has changed to a minor 7th here. Again, it is a small change that makes a big difference. The Mixolydian mode is the 5th mode of the major scale.

Relating Scale Shapes and Chords

Today we’ll look at a riff over a common chord progression: I - vi - IV - V.  We’ll look at this example in the key of A, so the chord progression will be A - F#m - D - E.

We are playing the 1st, 6th, 4th, and 5th chords from the A major scale, meaning that to play in key, we want to use the 1st, 6th, 4th, and 5th, modes of the A major scale. Fortunetly, we have covered all 4 of these in the first 3 lessons, so the modes would be  A major, F# minor, D Lydian , and E Mixolydian.

In our last lesson, we talked about relative majors and minors, and how we could use them to navigate the neck more. All 7 of the modes work in a similar fashion. The 4 modes mentioned above all contain the same notes as A major (A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# ), just in a different order. That means you could use any of the 4 scale shapes in the proper positions to play over any or all of these four chords.(for reference: Major starting at the 5th fret, Minor starting at the 2nd or 14th, Lydian starting at the 10th, Mixolydian starting at the open strings or 12th fret).

Now you may be asking yourself about which modes or which shapes to use over which chords. The fact is, if you staying in key, your position and selection of notes doesn’t effect the mode you are playing in. The chord controls the tonality of the melody, and therefore the mode. So if you are playing any of the shapes above over the A major chord, you are playing the A major scale.

This is easier to understand if you hear it. Here is an example below, where the lead plays a simple melody over a chord progression. We’ve also made this tab availible for download so you can listen to it in power tab.  Notice how the melody line doesn’t change much from bar to bar, but it has a different ‘feel’ over each chord.

Get The Tab

Wrapping things up next week

Next week we will look at the final 3 modes, 2 with a minor tonality (Dorian and Phygerian) and one with a diminished tonality (The Locarian scale) and we will wrap our look at the seven modes of the diatonic scale, and a look at where you can go as a player from here.