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