Guitar scale · Lydian mode
Bb Lydian Scale
Major scale with a ♯4 degree, creating dreamlike, mystical, celestial, and heroic lead lines.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Lydian Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|----------------------------------6-8-10-| B|-----------------------------8-10--------| G|----------------------7-9-10-------------| D|---------------7-8-10--------------------| A|--------7-8-10---------------------------| E|-6-8-10----------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|---------------------------------10-11---------| G|-------------------------9-10-12---------------| D|-----------------8-10-12-----------------------| A|---------8-10-12-------------------------------| E|-8-10-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-15-17----------------| D|-------------------14-15-17-------------------------| A|----------13-15-17----------------------------------| E|-13-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------17-18----------| G|----------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|-------------------15-17-19-------------------------| A|----------15-17-19----------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Lydian on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 6–10. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Bb Lydian uses exactly the same notes as F major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the F Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| ♯4 | E |
| 5 | F |
| 6 | G |
| 7 | A |
Chords in Bb Lydian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Lydian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Tonic |
| II | C | C7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Dm | Dm7 | Mediant |
| ♯iv° | Edim | Em7b5 | Subdominant |
| V | F | Fmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | Gm | Gm7 | Submediant |
| vii | Am | Am7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise Bb Lydian anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Lydian Scale?
- The Bb Lydian Scale has 7 notes: Bb, C, D, E, F, G, A.
- What chords are in the Bb Lydian Scale?
- The chords of Bb Lydian are Bb (I), C (II), Dm (iii), Edim (♯iv°), F (V), Gm (vi), Am (vii).
- What is the formula of the lydian scale?
- 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W W H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Lydian on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.