ArpeggiosEN

Scale

A♯ lydian ♯2

Harmonic minor modes

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

Notation

441♯23♯45671

Fretboard — frets 0–24

A♯ lydian ♯2 — frets 0 to 24, 89 notes, roots in orange♯45671♯23♯45671♯23♯4♯23♯45671♯23♯45671671♯23♯45671♯23♯4563♯45671♯23♯45671♯2371♯23♯45671♯23♯4567♯45671♯23♯45671♯23♯40123456789101112131415161718192021222324
A♯ lydian ♯2 — frets 0 to 24, 89 notes, roots in orange♯45671♯23♯45671♯23♯4♯23♯45671♯23♯45671671♯23♯45671♯23♯4563♯45671♯23♯45671♯2371♯23♯45671♯23♯4567♯45671♯23♯45671♯23♯40123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1A♯perfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
♯2B♯♯augmented second3The augmented second — a step-and-a-half above the root; its wide, exotic stretch gives lydian ♯2 its dark colour.
3C♯♯major third4The major third — the bright note that makes a quality major; it defines the chord's colour and pulls gently toward the root.
♯4D♯♯augmented fourth6The augmented fourth — the tritone; lydian, lydian dominant and maj7♯11 use it to lift the sound off the ground.
5E♯perfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
6F♯♯major sixth9The major sixth — the hopeful note that separates dorian and m6 from their darker cousins; it sits a whole step above the fifth.
7G♯♯major seventh11The major seventh — the leading tone a half-step under the root; in maj7 it glows, in harmonic minor it sharpens the pull home.

About this scale

Lydian sharp two is the sixth degree of harmonic minor, and one of the rarest qualities in the dictionary: a lydian shape with a raised second on top of the raised fourth. The sharp second is enharmonically a minor third, so the scale contains a dark minor-third colour inside a bright major frame. That contradiction makes it sound unsettled and cinematic rather than functional. It is the scale of the maj7 chord when a raised second is written, and it appears in modern jazz and contemporary classical writing. Listen for the sharp second and sharp fourth together — two raised notes changing the whole light.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the sharp second and listen to the minor third colour inside it.
  • Compare it with lydian and hear the second note move.
  • Improvise slowly, treating the two raised notes as destinations.
  • Play the scale over a maj7 chord and resolve the sharp second upward.