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Guitar scale · Lydian b7

E Lydian Dominant Scale

4th mode of Melodic Minor. Combines Lydian ♯4 brightness with Mixolydian ♭7 drive.

Notes EF#G#A#BC#D
Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Steps W W W H W H W
Mood Exotic Jazz, Luminous, Sophisticated
Heard in Jazz Fusion, Modern Lead Guitar, Simpsons Theme

Interactive scale diagram

E Lydian Dominant Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

E 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 0–4
e|-----------------------------0-2-4-|
B|-------------------------2-3-------|
G|-------------------1-3-4-----------|
D|-------------0-2-4-----------------|
A|-------1-2-4-----------------------|
E|-0-2-4-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 2–6
e|-----------------------------2-4-6-|
B|-------------------------3-5-------|
G|-------------------3-4-6-----------|
D|-------------2-4-6-----------------|
A|-------2-4-5-----------------------|
E|-2-4-6-----------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 4–8
e|-----------------------------4-6-7-|
B|-------------------------5-7-------|
G|-------------------4-6-7-----------|
D|-------------4-6-8-----------------|
A|-------4-5-7-----------------------|
E|-4-6-7-----------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 7–11
e|----------------------------------7-9-10-|
B|-----------------------------9-11--------|
G|----------------------7-9-11-------------|
D|---------------8-9-11--------------------|
A|--------7-9-11---------------------------|
E|-7-9-10----------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 9–13
e|---------------------------------------9-10-12-|
B|---------------------------------11-12---------|
G|-------------------------9-11-13---------------|
D|-----------------9-11-12-----------------------|
A|---------9-11-13-------------------------------|
E|-9-10-12---------------------------------------|

How to play E Lydian Dominant on guitar

Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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

DegreeNote
1 E
2 F#
3 G#
♯4 A#
5 B
6 C#
♭7 D

Chords in E Lydian Dominant

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in E Lydian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I E E7 Tonic
II F# F#7 Supertonic
iii° G#dim G#m7b5 Mediant
♯iv° A#dim A#m7b5 Subdominant
v Bm Bm(maj7) Dominant
vi C#m C#m7 Submediant
♭VII+ Daug Dmaj7#5 Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

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Questions

What notes are in the E Lydian Dominant Scale?
The E Lydian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: E, F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D.
What chords are in the E Lydian Dominant Scale?
The chords of E Lydian Dominant are E (I), F# (II), G#dim (iii°), A#dim (♯iv°), Bm (v), C#m (vi), Daug (♭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 E Lydian Dominant on the guitar?
The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Lydian Dominant Scale in every key

More scales in E