Guitar scale · Lydian b7
D Lydian Dominant Scale
4th mode of Melodic Minor. Combines Lydian ♯4 brightness with Mixolydian ♭7 drive.
Tap any note to hear it.
D 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-14-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-17----------------| D|-------------------14-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-15-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-20-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------17-19-21----------------| D|-------------------18-19-21-------------------------| A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-17-19-20-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------19-20-22-| B|-------------------------------19-21-22----------| G|-------------------------19-21-------------------| D|----------------19-21-22-------------------------| A|----------19-21----------------------------------| E|-19-20-22----------------------------------------|
How to play D Lydian Dominant 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 Dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Lydian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | D7 | Tonic |
| II | E | E7 | Supertonic |
| iii° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Mediant |
| ♯iv° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Subdominant |
| v | Am | Am(maj7) | Dominant |
| vi | Bm | Bm7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Lydian Dominant Scale?
- The D Lydian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C.
- What chords are in the D Lydian Dominant Scale?
- The chords of D Lydian Dominant are D (I), E (II), F#dim (iii°), G#dim (♯iv°), Am (v), Bm (vi), Caug (♭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 D Lydian Dominant 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.