ArpeggiosEN

Scale

C lydian dominant

Melodic minor modes

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

Notation

44123♯456♭71

Fretboard — frets 0–24

C lydian dominant — frets 0 to 24, 89 notes, roots in orange3♯456♭7123♯456♭7123123♯456♭7123♯456♭756♭7123♯456♭7123♯4523♯456♭7123♯456♭7126♭7123♯456♭7123♯4563♯456♭7123♯456♭71230123456789101112131415161718192021222324
C lydian dominant — frets 0 to 24, 89 notes, roots in orange3♯456♭7123♯456♭7123123♯456♭7123♯456♭756♭7123♯456♭7123♯4523♯456♭7123♯456♭7126♭7123♯456♭7123♯4563♯456♭7123♯456♭71230123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1Cperfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
2Dmajor second2The major second — a bright neighbour a whole step above the root; in sus2 it replaces the third, so the chord commits to neither major nor minor.
3Emajor third4The major third — the bright note that makes a quality major; it defines the chord's colour and pulls gently toward the root.
♯4F♯augmented fourth6The augmented fourth — the tritone; lydian, lydian dominant and maj7♯11 use it to lift the sound off the ground.
5Gperfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
6Amajor sixth9The major sixth — the hopeful note that separates dorian and m6 from their darker cousins; it sits a whole step above the fifth.
♭7B♭minor seventh10The minor seventh — the dominant's engine; a whole step under the root, it turns a triad into a 7 chord and drives the resolution.

About this scale

Lydian dominant is the fourth degree of melodic minor: the lydian shape with a flattened seventh, which makes it a dominant scale with a raised fourth. The sharp fourth gives lift while the flat seventh supplies the dominant's pull, so the scale is the natural choice over a 7♯11 chord and the tritone-substitution dominant. Jazz and fusion players use it constantly because it sounds sophisticated without becoming harsh — the tritone between the third and seventh is still there, but the raised fourth keeps the top of the chord open. Listen for the sharp fourth singing over the dominant tritone.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the sharp fourth and flat seventh together and hear the dominant lift.
  • Improvise over a 7♯11 chord and land on the raised fourth.
  • Compare it with mixolydian and isolate the raised fourth.
  • Play the scale over a tritone-substitution dominant and resolve down a half-step.