G♭ lydian
G♭ major with one note raised: C. Seven notes: G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F. The same notes as D♭ major, centred on G♭.
F♯ and G♭ are the same pitch. This scale is written as G♭ lydian because that spelling needs fewer accidentals than F♯ lydian.
- Parent key
- D♭ major Same notes
- Colour note
- C The raised 4th
- Repeating chords
- G♭ – A♭ I – II
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭ | ||||
| IIVampA♭A♭ · C · E♭ | ||||
| iiiB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F | ||||
| ♯iv°C°C · E♭ · G♭ | ||||
| VD♭D♭ · F · A♭ | ||||
| viE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭ | ||||
| viiFmF · A♭ · C |
What makes it lydian
Major, with the 4th raised
One note separates G♭ lydian from G♭ major: C♭ becomes C. Over the same root, that turns G♭ – A♭m into G♭ – A♭.
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- C♭
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
- F
Hear the difference
One chord that says lydian
A♭ holds C, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on G♭
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Lydian is row 1 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- G♭ lydianG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♯4
- G♭ ionian (major)G♭A♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F—
- G♭ mixolydianG♭A♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭♭7
- F♯ dorianF♯G♯ABC♯D♯Esame sound as G♭ dorian♭3 ♭7
- F♯ aeolian (natural minor)F♯G♯ABC♯DEsame sound as G♭ aeolian (natural minor)♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- F♯ phrygianF♯GABC♯DEsame sound as G♭ phrygian♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- F♯ locrianF♯GABCDEsame sound as G♭ locrian♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating G♭ – A♭ chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with C ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickG♭ – A♭, two bars each, in frets 3–7. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while G♭ – A♭ sounds. Stay in frets 3–7.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver A♭, aim for C. It is the note that makes it lydian.80 bpmLevel 2