The D Lydian Dominant Scale on Guitar
D Lydian dominant uses D, E, F#, G#, A, B and C: the D major scale with G# in place of G and C in place of C#.
The open D string is the root you get for free. Fret it on the 10th fret of the low E string or the 5th fret of the A string, then practise the shape with the three notes per string exercise.
Play the D lydian dominant scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the D lydian dominant scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 1 | Root | 0 |
| E | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| F# | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| G# | #4 | Tritone | 6 |
| A | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| B | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| C | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
D lydian dominant scale notes:
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.
D Lydian Dominant Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (D)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the D lydian dominant scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the lydian dominant scale, starting from a different degree.
The lydian dominant scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
