Guitar scale · Lydian diminished
D Lydian b3 Scale
Mode 4 of Harmonic Major: Lydian with a lowered 3rd, also called Lydian diminished.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Lydian b3 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------10-13-14----------------| D|-------------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-15-------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-12-13-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-| B|----------------------------------15-17-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|----------------14-15-18-------------------------| A|-------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-21-| B|-------------------------------------18-21----------| G|----------------------------18-19-21----------------| D|-------------------18-19-21-------------------------| A|----------17-19-20----------------------------------| E|-17-19-21-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|-------------------------------21-22----------| G|----------------------19-21-22----------------| D|----------------19-21-------------------------| A|----------19-20-------------------------------| E|-19-21-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Lydian b3 on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| ♭3 | F |
| ♯4 | G# |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | B |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Lydian b3
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Lydian b3; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Tonic |
| II | E | E7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Mediant |
| ♯iv° | G#dim | G#dim7 | Subdominant |
| V | A | Amaj7 | Dominant |
| vi° | Bdim | Bm7b5 | Submediant |
| vii | C#m | C#m7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Lydian b3 Scale?
- The D Lydian b3 Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F, G#, A, B, C#.
- What chords are in the D Lydian b3 Scale?
- The chords of D Lydian b3 are Dm (i), E (II), Faug (♭III+), G#dim (♯iv°), A (V), Bdim (vi°), C#m (vii).
- What is the formula of the lydian b3 scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W H W+H H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Lydian b3 on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.