Lydian dominant scale
Lydian dominant: the fourth mode of melodic minor, a dominant scale with a raised fourth for a bright, altered sound over dominant chords. Notes in all twelve keys, with piano and guitar diagrams.
On C
- Formula
- 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
- Steps
- W W W H W H W
- Notes
- 7
- Also called
- Overtone scale, Acoustic scale
What it sounds like
Lydian dominant follows the pattern whole, whole, whole, half, whole, half, whole. It is the Mixolydian scale with a raised fourth. The raised fourth forms a tritone against the tonic, but the flat seventh keeps the dominant character. The result is bright at the top and still pulls toward resolution. Players often hear its extra note as a sharp eleventh over a dominant chord, which is why the scale is so widely used in modern jazz.
Where you hear it
Lydian dominant is used in jazz over dominant seventh chords with a raised eleventh, such as C7♯11. It appears in modern jazz, fusion, and some film scores for a bright but unresolved dominant color. Players often choose it for passages that avoid the normal resolution of a dominant chord. It is taught as the standard scale for the sharp eleven chord, and it is a common option whenever a dominant chord has a raised fourth in the melody.
How it is built
Lydian dominant is the fourth mode of melodic minor. On C, its pitches are C D E F♯ G A B♭, the same notes as G melodic minor, so C Lydian dominant is the fourth mode of G melodic minor. Compared with Mixolydian, it differs in one note: the fourth is raised. Its tonic chord is a dominant seventh, C7, and its second degree is also a dominant seventh, D7. The fifth degree is a minor chord with a major seventh, G mM7.
How to practise it
Play C Lydian dominant, C D E F♯ G A B♭, against a drone on C. Over a C7♯11 vamp, aim the F♯ on strong beats and resolve it down to F. Then play the same shape with F natural, which is Mixolydian, and compare the two sounds. Use the difference to decide when a dominant chord should sound bright and when it should sound plain.
Lydian dominant scale in every key
Each scale below is spelled by letter name, so every letter appears once where the scale has seven notes. Click a name for its full page.
| Key | Notes | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C D E F♯ G A B♭ | |
| C♯ | C♯ D♯ E♯ F× G♯ A♯ B | |
| D♭ | D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C♭ | |
| D | D E F♯ G♯ A B C | |
| E♭ | E♭ F G A B♭ C D♭ | |
| E | E F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D | |
| F | F G A B C D E♭ | |
| F♯ | F♯ G♯ A♯ B♯ C♯ D♯ E | |
| G♭ | G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F♭ | |
| G | G A B C♯ D E F | |
| G♯ | G♯ A♯ B♯ C× D♯ E♯ F♯ | |
| A♭ | A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F G♭ | |
| A | A B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G | |
| B♭ | B♭ C D E F G A♭ | |
| B | B C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A |
Further reading
- Chord-Scale Theory Explained: Which Scale Fits Which ChordJazz & Popular Harmony · 7 min
- Tritone Substitution: The subV7 Chord That Still ResolvesHarmony · 6 min
- Church Modes From Dorian to Locrian: A Practical GuideFundamentals · 7 min
Questions
What is the difference between Lydian dominant and Mixolydian?
Mixolydian has a natural fourth, while Lydian dominant raises it. On C, Mixolydian is C D E F G A B♭ and Lydian dominant is C D E F♯ G A B♭. The raised fourth gives a bright, raised-eleventh color over a dominant chord, where Mixolydian would sound plain and bluesy.
How do you build a Lydian dominant scale?
Start with the Mixolydian scale and raise the fourth, or take the major scale and raise the fourth and lower the seventh. On C, both routes give C D E F♯ G A B♭. It is also the fourth mode of melodic minor: G melodic minor, started from C, produces the same notes.
When is Lydian dominant used?
Jazz players use it over dominant seventh chords with a raised eleventh, such as C7♯11, and fusion and modern jazz use it often. Film and television composers use it for bright, unresolved dominant color. Its main feature is that the chord keeps its dominant identity while the raised fourth adds lift.