Guitar scale · Lydian b7
C Lydian Dominant Scale
4th mode of Melodic Minor. Combines Lydian ♯4 brightness with Mixolydian ♭7 drive.
Tap any note to hear it.
C 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|---------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|---------------------------------10-11---------| G|-------------------------9-11-12---------------| D|-----------------8-10-12-----------------------| A|---------9-10-12-------------------------------| E|-8-10-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|-------------------16-17-19-------------------------| A|----------15-17-19----------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------19-20----------| G|----------------------------17-19-21----------------| D|-------------------17-19-20-------------------------| A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Lydian Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| 2 | D |
| 3 | E |
| ♯4 | F# |
| 5 | G |
| 6 | A |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Chords in C Lydian Dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Lydian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | C7 | Tonic |
| II | D | D7 | Supertonic |
| iii° | Edim | Em7b5 | Mediant |
| ♯iv° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Subdominant |
| v | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Dominant |
| vi | Am | Am7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Lydian Dominant Scale?
- The C Lydian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: C, D, E, F#, G, A, Bb.
- What chords are in the C Lydian Dominant Scale?
- The chords of C Lydian Dominant are C (I), D (II), Edim (iii°), F#dim (♯iv°), Gm (v), Am (vi), Bbaug (♭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 C Lydian Dominant on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.