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C mixolydian pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G, Bb, C, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 6, 8, 12

A string: Bb, C, E, F, G at frets 1, 3, 7, 8, 10

D string: E, F, G, Bb, C at frets 2, 3, 5, 8, 10

G string: G, Bb, C, E, F, G at frets 0, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12

B string: C, E, F, G, Bb at frets 1, 5, 6, 8, 11

High E string: E, F, G, Bb, C, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 6, 8, 12

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C mixolydian pentatonic

The mixolydian pentatonic, also catalogued as the Indian pentatonic, is root, major 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th: a dominant 7th chord plus the 4th. It gives you the mixolydian sound in five notes, ideal over a static 7th chord vamp when the full mode feels busy. The 4th resolving down to the 3rd is its built-in melodic hook.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

C

I

E

III

F

IV

G

V

B♭

bVII

mixolydian pentatonic in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • A dominant 7th chord plus the 4th: root, III, IV, V, bVII (Bb); over a C7 vamp, it is all signal and no filler.
  • Resolve the 4th (F) down to the 3rd (E) as the built-in melodic move.
  • Where the major pentatonic avoids tension, this keeps the bVII (Bb): use it when the chord is a 7th, not a triad.
  • Its five notes also cover the sus-to-major resolution: hold IV against the chord, then land III.

How to play C mixolydian pentatonic on guitar

Three open strings belong here: both E strings as the major third and the open G as the fifth, so a fifth pedal is on tap with no fretting hand. Fret 1 on the B string is the lowest-numbered root, doubled by fret 5 on the G and fret 10 on the D at the same pitch. Box one starts at fret 8. Fret 3 on the A string is a unison with the low E root at fret 8, which means the A-shape voicing is not actually lower.

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