The Lydian Mode

In this lesson I will be teaching you all about the Lydian mode, what it is and how you can use this great sounding scale in our own music and improvisations. The first thing we need to understand is that the Lydian mode is the fourth mode of the Major scale. This means simply that it is a scale derived from the major scale. The Lydian mode is basically a major scale with a sharp fourth note, which gives it a dreamy, modern sound and makes it a good scale to play over major7 and major 7#11 chords. (A sharp eleventh is the same note as a sharp fourth).

If you look closely you will see the Lydian mode is exactly the same as a major scale but with a sharp fourth note. The best way to hear the sound of the Lydian mode is by playing the scale of a major 7#11 chord. The example below shows you the chord shape for a G major 7#11 chord. Play it slowly and listen carefully to the sound.

I will now show you how to play the Lydian mode all the way up the guitar neck. Once you are comfortable with the seven positions of the Lydian mode, it is a good idea to start connecting the various positions across the neck, so that you can move smoothly across the fret board. Another great way to help you remember the shapes of the Lydian mode is to improvise with them. The more you play around and experiment with scales like this the more interesting and useful they become.

The formula for this scale is

1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7

This translates to

G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#