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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.

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

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

IVampEE · G♯ · B
IIVampF♯F♯ · A♯ · C♯
iiiG♯mG♯ · B · D♯
♯iv°A♯°A♯ · C♯ · E
VBB · D♯ · F♯
viC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
viiD♯mD♯ · F♯ · A♯
Light up

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 – F♯m into E – F♯.

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

Hear the difference

F♯

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

  1. E lydianEF♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯♯4
  2. E ionian (major)EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯—
  3. E mixolydianEF♯G♯ABC♯D♭7
  4. E dorianEF♯GABC♯D♭3 ♭7
  5. E aeolian (natural minor)EF♯GABCD♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  6. E phrygianEFGABCD♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  7. E locrianEFGAB♭CD♭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.

  1. The vamp, with a clickE – F♯, two bars each, in frets 3–7. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
  2. Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while E – F♯ sounds. Stay in frets 3–7.80 bpmLevel 1
  3. Land on the colour noteOver F♯, aim for A♯. It is the note that makes it lydian.80 bpmLevel 2

Lydian on every root

Pick a root

Other modes of B major's notes