Guitar scale · Lydian b7
B Lydian Dominant Scale
4th mode of Melodic Minor. Combines Lydian ♯4 brightness with Mixolydian ♭7 drive.
Tap any note to hear it.
B Lydian Dominant 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|-----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|------------------------------9-10--------| G|----------------------8-10-11-------------| D|---------------7-9-11---------------------| A|--------8-9-11----------------------------| E|-7-9-11-----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13------------------------| A|---------9-11-12--------------------------------| E|-9-11-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------11-12-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|----------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------15-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-16-18----------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-19-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19-------------------------| A|----------16-18-20----------------------------------| E|-16-17-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Lydian Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| 3 | D# |
| ♯4 | E# |
| 5 | F# |
| 6 | G# |
| ♭7 | A |
Chords in B Lydian Dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Lydian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | B7 | Tonic |
| II | C# | C#7 | Supertonic |
| iii° | D#dim | D#m7b5 | Mediant |
| ♯iv° | E#dim | E#m7b5 | Subdominant |
| v | F#m | F#m(maj7) | Dominant |
| vi | G#m | G#m7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII+ | Aaug | Amaj7#5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Lydian Dominant Scale?
- The B Lydian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A.
- What chords are in the B Lydian Dominant Scale?
- The chords of B Lydian Dominant are B (I), C# (II), D#dim (iii°), E#dim (♯iv°), F#m (v), G#m (vi), Aaug (♭VII+).
- What is the formula of the lydian dominant scale?
- 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W W H W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Lydian Dominant on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.