Lydian Scale Guitar: Hear the Sound, Then Use It
By Daniel Weiss · Published · Updated
The Lydian scale, or Lydian mode, is the major scale with one note raised: the 4th becomes a sharp 4. Over a major chord, that one half step is the sound to listen for. Hear it next to major below, then use it in a phrase.
Hear the sound first: E major, then E Lydian
Press play on E major, then switch to E Lydian and press play again. Same root, same strings, same frets 6 to 9. Only one note moves.
E (degree 1), string 5, fret 7; F# (degree 2), string 5, fret 9; G# (degree 3), string 4, fret 6; A (degree 4, the 4th, a half step above the 3rd), string 4, fret 7; B (degree 5), string 4, fret 9; C# (degree 6), string 3, fret 6; D# (degree 7), string 3, fret 8; E (degree 1), string 3, fret 9
E (degree 1), string 5, fret 7; F# (degree 2), string 5, fret 9; G# (degree 3), string 4, fret 6; A# (degree #4, the #4, the color note), string 4, fret 8; B (degree 5), string 4, fret 9; C# (degree 6), string 3, fret 6; D# (degree 7), string 3, fret 8; E (degree 1), string 3, fret 9. Not played, the 4th of E major: A, string 4, fret 7
Play this. Play E major, then E Lydian, each from the 7th fret of the 5th string up to the 9th fret of the 3rd. Listen for the fourth note of the scale: in Lydian it sits one fret higher, away from the 3rd.
Then stop on that note each time. Play the A in E major, then the A# in E Lydian. That one-fret move is the whole difference.
| Degree | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E major | E | F# | G# | A | B | C# | D# |
| E Lydian | E | F# | G# | A# | B | C# | D# |
“So, a very magical scale over major chords is the Lydian mode. And the Lydian mode is exactly like our Ionian mode, but you’re going to raise the four. You’re going to sharpen the four, also called sharp 11.”
Daniel Weiss, from his YouTube lesson “Every JAZZ Scale You’ll EVER Need” (5:59)
The color note: the raised 4th
Daniel calls it the sharp 4, also called the sharp 11. In E, that note is A#.
The plain 4th, A, sits a half step above the 3rd, G#. The raised 4th, A#, sits a whole step above the 3rd and a half step below the 5th, B.
No scale guarantees a feeling. Play the pair, then decide what you hear.
When Lydian fits
Daniel’s starting point is a major chord: “a very magical scale over major chords.” In his lick the chord is E major 7, and every note is heard against it.
At 1:02 he plays an E maj9 #11 voicing. The #11 is Lydian’s trademark sound, in his words on the original page.
| Scale | Notes in E | Chord it sits over | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| E major (Ionian) | E F# G# A B C# D# | Emaj7 | The starting point |
| E Lydian | E F# G# A# B C# D# | Emaj7, or Emaj7#11 when the note is named | The 4th is raised: A becomes A# |
| E Lydian dominant | E F# G# A# B C# D | E7 | Lydian with the 7th lowered: D# becomes D |
Lydian dominant keeps the raised 4th and lowers the 7th. Daniel calls it “the dominant chord version of Lydian” (6:48), so it belongs over a dominant chord, not over Emaj7.
Raise the 5th of plain Lydian and you get Lydian sharp 5, which he names as the third mode of melodic minor (6:25). This page stays with plain Lydian.
Where it sits on the neck
A# (degree #4, the #4, the color note), string 6, fret 6; B (degree 5), string 6, fret 7; C# (degree 6), string 6, fret 9; D# (degree 7), string 5, fret 6; E (degree 1), string 5, fret 7; F# (degree 2), string 5, fret 9; G# (degree 3), string 4, fret 6; A# (degree #4, the #4, the color note), string 4, fret 8; B (degree 5), string 4, fret 9; C# (degree 6), string 3, fret 6; D# (degree 7), string 3, fret 8; E (degree 1), string 3, fret 9; F# (degree 2), string 2, fret 7; G# (degree 3), string 2, fret 9; A# (degree #4, the #4, the color note), string 1, fret 6; B (degree 5), string 1, fret 7; C# (degree 6), string 1, fret 9. Not played, the 4th of E major: A, string 6, fret 5; A, string 4, fret 7; A, string 1, fret 5
Play this. Play the chart low to high, then find the three pink A# notes: 6th string 6th fret, 4th string 8th fret and 1st string 6th fret. Listen for each one against the dashed A, one fret lower.
Download the printable chart (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Daniel’s lick, part one: stacked thirds over Emaj7
Daniel’s lick starts with a half-step move into the root. Then he stacks thirds.
“You know what I really love to do is take any scale and opportunity to create some licks and just stack those thirds.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (1:35)
He stacks them from the 3rd up to the 9th, then reverses and lands on the root.
D# (degree 7), string 5, fret 6; E (degree 1), string 5, fret 7; G# (degree 3), string 4, fret 6; B (degree 5), string 4, fret 9; D# (degree 7), string 3, fret 8; F# (degree 2), string 2, fret 7
e|--------------------| B|----------7---------| G|--------8---8-------| D|----6-9-------9-6---| A|6-7---------------7-| E|--------------------|
Play this. Over an E major 7 chord or an open E, play the tab at a slow, even pace. Listen for the thirds stacking up, the half step into E at the start, and the way the line falls back to land on E.
These notes are in E major too. The A# arrives later in his lick, in the sus4 shape from the major 7th (D# G# A#, in the table below).
Daniel says the sus2 sound is “a really beautiful sound that I love using” (2:01). In the line itself, the color arrives later, once he starts the sus4 shapes. Here is every idea in it, as notes over Emaj7.
| Idea | In the video | Notes | Has the #4? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-step approach into the root | 1:08 | D#, then E (6th fret, then 7th, on the 5th string; string computed) | No |
| Stacked thirds, 3rd up to the 9th | 1:35 | G# B D# F# (3, 5, 7, 9) | No |
| Sus2 major 7 arpeggio | 2:01 | E F# B D# (1, 9, 5, 7) | No |
| E major 7 arpeggio, into the 6th | 4:01 | E G# B D#, then C# (1, 3, 5, 7, 6) | No |
| Sus4 arpeggio from the major 7th | 5:05 | D# G# A# (7, 3, #11) | Yes: A# |
| Sus4 arpeggio from the 5th, B | 5:25 | B E F# (5, 1, 9) | No |
| Ending voicing | 5:45 | Root, then A# (the “flat five” he names), the open B string (the 5th), then E doubled at the octave | Yes: A# |
Of the sus4 arpeggios he says “kind of obsessed with them, actually. I always play them” (5:31). The one that starts on the major 7th, D#, is the one that carries the #4.
“Then ending with this beautiful voicing, which is root, flat five, then the open string giving us the five, the natural five, and doubling the octave with E.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (5:45)
In E, the #4 (A#) and the natural 5th (B) are a half step apart. That voicing sets the two side by side.
The half step into the root
Daniel calls it a chromatic embellishment into the root. In this lick it is D#, the 6th fret, then E, the 7th, on the 5th string. The string is worked out from the notes he names.
Make the line yours: the right hand
Daniel usually says do whatever works for your right hand. Here, though:
“I will say that the hybrid kind of picking over here definitely helps me out.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (2:42)
He uses some pick, hammer-ons, and his middle and index fingers.
Learn from the phrase, not only the notes
Whatever phrase you learn, learn its concepts rather than a pile of notes. Stacked thirds, the sus2 sound and the sus4 shape all move to other scales.
Where to go next
In his video on five secret chords, Daniel says you can play “a triad that is diatonic to Lydian” (0:56). In E, the major triad on the 2nd degree, F# A# C#, spells the 9, #11 and 13 over the root.
How to pick a triad pair and turn it into a line is on the triad pairs lesson. The sus2 sound he mentions in the lick comes from learning your triads.
- Guitar Scales Guide
- Guitar Arpeggios Guide
- The Complete Bebop Guitar Guide
- The pentatonic scale lesson
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Lydian scale on guitar?
- The major scale with one note raised: the 4th becomes a sharp 4. In E, that is E F# G# A# B C# D#.
- What is the difference between Lydian and major?
- One note. E major has an A, the 4th. E Lydian has an A#, the #4, which sits one fret higher on the same string.
- When should I use the Lydian scale?
- Over a major chord, the way Daniel plays his lick over Emaj7.
- Is Lydian the same as Lydian dominant?
- No. Lydian dominant keeps the raised 4th and lowers the 7th, so E Lydian dominant is E F# G# A# B C# D. Daniel calls it the dominant chord version of Lydian, and the fourth mode of melodic minor.
- What is a sus2 major 7 arpeggio?
- In E it is E, F#, B and D#: the root, 9, 5 and major 7. Daniel calls part of it a suspended four: B E F#, with the major 7th, D#, added.
- What is hybrid picking and when do I use it here?
- It means using the pick for some notes and your fingers for others. Daniel uses the pick, hammer-ons and his middle and index fingers in this lick, and says that although the right hand is usually yours to choose, hybrid picking helps him here.