The Advancing Guitarist 1

First, let's break down each piece of this insight to make it applicable:

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Where would I use G Mixolydian? 

 

• against a G Dominant 7th chord and its variations / extensions

• against a G Mixolydian vamp or progression  : i.e.  CMaj7 | Dm :  G7 / 13

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What's the benefit?

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More sophisticated and mindful playing.  The mixolydian has a very subtle jazz blues tonality that requires some ear development at first.  It is a staple among jazz / smooth jazz / jazz blues and pure blues players.

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An easy way to remember the G Mixolydian - think of the G scale first, then flat the 7th.  That's all you're doing.  Relax into it and keep it simple in your head.

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If you hold onto that context, understanding bebop gets easier.  The notes of the G bebop scale are the same as the G major scale plus the added note of the flatted 7th (F).

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So in essence, the G bebop is:

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• the same as the mixolydian plus the natural 7th (F and F#)

• the same as the major plus the flatted 7th (F# and F)

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This means in G bebop you have both the F and F# notes available to you.

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With the G major scale, you have the F# note available to you.

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With G mixo, it's the natural F that you lean on for the modal tonality.

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So when it comes to note choice F (mixolydian) vs F# (bebop) ... think in terms of direction ... if the notes are climbing up the scale in ascending fashion - don't use the F# ... if you are descending throw it in and see what it does.  You may recognize where you've heard it used.

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Start your bebop line on the beat ... and also try to start on either a 1, 3, 5, or b7 chord.  These are also the arpeggio tones in the dominant 7th chord, the b7 being the F.

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The key to this level of sophistication is working out where and how you mix and change up your interplay between the F and F# notes.  F on the way up, F or F# on the way down.

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Practice makes perfect.  Keep the early background simple using  G7, G7+5, G9 or G13 chords.

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