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Guitar scale · Lydian diminished

F Lydian b3 Scale

Mode 4 of Harmonic Major: Lydian with a lowered 3rd, also called Lydian diminished.

Notes FGAbBCDE
Formula 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7
Steps W H W+H H W W H
Mood Haunting, Rich, Unusual
Heard in Modal Improvisation, Jazz

Interactive scale diagram

F Lydian b3 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.

F 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 1–5
e|-----------------------------1-3-4-|
B|-------------------------3-5-------|
G|-------------------1-4-5-----------|
D|-------------2-3-5-----------------|
A|-------2-3-5-----------------------|
E|-1-3-4-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 3–7
e|-----------------------------3-4-7-|
B|-------------------------5-6-------|
G|-------------------4-5-7-----------|
D|-------------3-5-6-----------------|
A|-------3-5-7-----------------------|
E|-3-4-7-----------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 5–9
e|-----------------------------7-8-|
B|-----------------------6-8-9-----|
G|-----------------5-7-9-----------|
D|-----------5-6-9-----------------|
A|-----5-7-8-----------------------|
E|-7-8-----------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 8–12
e|--------------------------------------8-10-12-|
B|---------------------------------9-12---------|
G|-------------------------9-10-12--------------|
D|-----------------9-10-12----------------------|
A|---------8-10-11------------------------------|
E|-8-10-12--------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-|
B|-------------------------------------12-13----------|
G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------|
D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------|
A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------|
E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------|

How to play F Lydian b3 on guitar

Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F 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 1–5. 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 F
2 G
♭3 Ab
♯4 B
5 C
6 D
7 E

Chords in F Lydian b3

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Lydian b3; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i Fm Fm(maj7) Tonic
II G G7 Supertonic
♭III+ Abaug Abmaj7#5 Mediant
♯iv° Bdim Bdim7 Subdominant
V C Cmaj7 Dominant
vi° Ddim Dm7b5 Submediant
vii Em Em7 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the F Lydian b3 Scale?
The F Lydian b3 Scale has 7 notes: F, G, Ab, B, C, D, E.
What chords are in the F Lydian b3 Scale?
The chords of F Lydian b3 are Fm (i), G (II), Abaug (♭III+), Bdim (♯iv°), C (V), Ddim (vi°), Em (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 F Lydian b3 on the guitar?
The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Lydian b3 Scale in every key

More scales in F