The C♯ Mixolydian is the 5th mode of the C# Major scale. It has a bluesy, rock, funky, dominant, unresolved energy character. On guitar it appears at Position 5 in the fretboard pattern — root note C#.
Notes in the C♯ Mixolydian
C#
D#
F
F#
G#
A#
B
C# · D# · F · F# · G# · A# · B
Step Formula
W = Whole step (2 frets) · H = Half step (1 fret)
W W H W W H W
Intervals
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Sound CharacterBluesy, rock, funky, dominant, unresolved energy
Parent Major ScaleC# Major — C♯ Mixolydian shares the same notes as C# Major but starts on C#
Best Used InBlues, Rock, Funk, Country, Folk
Famous ExamplesSweet Home Alabama, Norwegian Wood, Hey Joe (Hendrix)
Key insight: Mixolydian is major with a ♭7. That flattened note is the entire sound of blues-rock guitar.
The 5 Missing Notes™ — Beyond C♯ Mixolydian
The C♯ Mixolydian is one of 7 diatonic modes in the Dead Sea Scales system. Using the 5 Missing Notes™ framework, each mode generates 7 extended variations — giving you access to all 42 total modes in any key including C♯.
Same Mode, Every Key
The Mixolydian pattern is identical in every key — the formula never changes. Explore the same mode in other keys:
Home: C♯ Mixolydian is major territory — Ionian with a ♭7. Start here. Address: 5th mode of G♭ Ionian — the 5 Missing Notes are read from G♭, not C♯. Home vs Address →