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♭.
G♯ and A♭ are the same pitch. This scale is written as A♭ lydian because that spelling needs fewer accidentals than G♯ lydian.
- Parent key
- E♭ major Same notes
- Colour note
- D The raised 4th
- Repeating chords
- A♭ – B♭ I – II
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| IVampA♭A♭ · C · E♭ | ||||
| IIVampB♭B♭ · D · F | ||||
| iiiCmC · E♭ · G | ||||
| ♯iv°D°D · F · A♭ | ||||
| VE♭E♭ · G · B♭ | ||||
| viFmF · A♭ · C | ||||
| viiGmG · B♭ · D |
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♭ – B♭m into A♭ – B♭.
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D
- E♭
- F
- G
Hear the difference
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
- A♭ lydianA♭B♭CDE♭FG♯4
- A♭ ionian (major)A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG—
- A♭ mixolydianA♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭♭7
- A♭ dorianA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FG♭♭3 ♭7
- A♭ aeolian (natural minor)A♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭G♭♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- G♯ phrygianG♯ABC♯D♯EF♯same sound as A♭ phrygian♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- G♯ locrianG♯ABC♯DEF♯same sound as A♭ locrian♭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.
- The vamp, with a clickA♭ – B♭, 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 A♭ – B♭ sounds. Stay in frets 3–6.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver B♭, aim for D. It is the note that makes it lydian.80 bpmLevel 2