D♭ lydian
D♭ major with one note raised: G. Seven notes: D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C. The same notes as A♭ major, centred on D♭.
C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch. This scale is written as D♭ lydian because that spelling needs fewer accidentals than C♯ lydian.
- Parent key
- A♭ major Same notes
- Colour note
- G The raised 4th
- Repeating chords
- D♭ – E♭ I – II
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampD♭D♭ · F · A♭ | ||||
| IIVampE♭E♭ · G · B♭ | ||||
| iiiFmF · A♭ · C | ||||
| ♯iv°G°G · B♭ · D♭ | ||||
| VA♭A♭ · C · E♭ | ||||
| viB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F | ||||
| viiCmC · E♭ · G |
What makes it lydian
Major, with the 4th raised
One note separates D♭ lydian from D♭ major: G♭ becomes G. Over the same root, that turns D♭ – E♭m into D♭ – E♭.
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
Hear the difference
One chord that says lydian
E♭ holds G, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on D♭
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Lydian is row 1 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- D♭ lydianD♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♯4
- D♭ ionian (major)D♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭C—
- D♭ mixolydianD♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭C♭♭7
- D♭ dorianD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭C♭♭3 ♭7
- C♯ aeolian (natural minor)C♯D♯EF♯G♯ABsame sound as D♭ aeolian (natural minor)♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- C♯ phrygianC♯DEF♯G♯ABsame sound as D♭ phrygian♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- C♯ locrianC♯DEF♯GABsame sound as D♭ locrian♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating D♭ – E♭ chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with G ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickD♭ – E♭, two bars each, in frets 3–6. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while D♭ – E♭ sounds. Stay in frets 3–6.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver E♭, aim for G. It is the note that makes it lydian.80 bpmLevel 2