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A lydian

A major with one note raised: D♯. Seven notes: A B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯. The same notes as E major, centred on A.

Parent key
E major Same notes
Colour note
D♯ The raised 4th
Repeating chords
A – B I – II
80 bpm
Labels

Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode.

IVampAA · C♯ · E
IIVampBB · D♯ · F♯
iiiC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
♯iv°D♯°D♯ · F♯ · A
VEE · G♯ · B
viF♯mF♯ · A · C♯
viiG♯mG♯ · B · D♯
Light up

What makes it lydian

Major, with the 4th raised

One note separates A lydian from A major: D becomes D♯. Over the same root, that turns A – Bm into A – B.

A major
  1. A
  2. B
  3. C♯
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F♯
  7. G♯
A lydian
  1. A
  2. B
  3. C♯
  4. D♯
  5. E
  6. F♯
  7. G♯

Hear the difference

x
B

One chord that says lydian

B holds D♯, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.

The brightness ladder

Seven modes on A

From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Lydian is row 1 of seven.

↑ Brighter

  1. A lydianABC♯D♯EF♯G♯♯4
  2. A ionian (major)ABC♯DEF♯G♯—
  3. A mixolydianABC♯DEF♯G♭7
  4. A dorianABCDEF♯G♭3 ♭7
  5. A aeolian (natural minor)ABCDEFG♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  6. A phrygianAB♭CDEFG♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  7. A locrianAB♭CDE♭FG♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Darker ↓

Jam along

Three drills over the vamp

Play over the repeating A – B chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with D♯ ringed.

  1. The vamp, with a clickA – B, two bars each, in frets 2–6. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
  2. Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while A – B sounds. Stay in frets 2–6.80 bpmLevel 1
  3. Land on the colour noteOver B, aim for D♯. It is the note that makes it lydian.80 bpmLevel 2

Lydian on every root

Pick a root

Other modes of E major's notes