A♭ Lydian mode on guitar
The A♭ Lydian mode has seven notes: A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭, F and G (1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7). A major scale with a sharp 4th. Dreamy and floating rather than settled; play it over a maj7 or maj7♯11 chord, or a major chord moving to the major chord a tone above (C to D).
| Note | A♭ | B♭ | C | D | E♭ | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | ♯4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | whole | half | whole | whole | half |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the A♭ Lydian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; A♭ (A♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (A♭) | A♭home | A♭maj7home |
| 2 (B♭) | B♭the lift | B♭7the lift |
| 3 (C) | Cmhalf-light | Cm7half-light |
| ♯4 (D) | Ddimthe edge | Dm7♭5the edge |
| 5 (E♭) | E♭the pull | E♭maj7the pull |
| 6 (F) | Fmthe shadow | Fm7the shadow |
| 7 (G) | Gmcolour | Gm7colour |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the E♭ major scale, started from its fourth note, A♭.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭ Lydian mode?
A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭, F and G. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7, and the steps between its notes are W W W H W W H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the A♭ Lydian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: A♭, B♭, Cm, Ddim, E♭, Fm and Gm, and as seventh chords A♭maj7, B♭7, Cm7, Dm7♭5, E♭maj7, Fm7 and Gm7. A♭ is home: A♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Lydian mode in every key
Other scales in A♭
A♭ majorG♯ minorG♯ minor pentatonicA♭ major pentatonicG♯ bluesG♯ DorianA♭ MixolydianG♯ PhrygianG♯ harmonic minorG♯ melodic minorA♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.