Lydian Dominant (Overtone Scale) on Guitar
The Lydian Dominant scale pairs the raised fourth of Lydian with the flat seventh of Mixolydian: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7. You will also see it called Lydian b7 or the Overtone scale, and it is the fourth mode of melodic minor.
With a major third and a b7 the scale contains a dominant seventh chord, which is why it is used over 7#11 sounds. Choose a key below to see the notes and shapes.
C Lydian Dominant Scale: box pattern, position 1
Structure
How the lydian dominant scale is built:
The lydian dominant scale is built from the degrees 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7, which gives the step pattern W-W-W-H-W-H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 4 of the Melodic Minor Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
It is also known as Lydian b7 and Overtone Scale.
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Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
