Ab Lydian scale
- Notes
- Ab Bb C D Eb F G
- Formula
- 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W W W H W W H (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- Ab Lydian mode
Seven notes from Ab up to the next Ab. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
Ab Lydian on the piano
From Ab4 to Ab5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from Ab
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | root | 0 |
| Bb | 2 | major second | 2 |
| C | 3 | major third | 4 |
| D | #4 | augmented fourth | 6 |
| Eb | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| F | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| G | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
Ab Lydian on the guitar
Standard tuning, high e on top as in tablature, open strings to fret 12. Every dot is a note of the scale; the pattern repeats from fret 12 up.
The seven chords of Ab Lydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on Ab, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Ab C Eb | |
| II | Bb | Bb D F | |
| iii | Cm | C Eb G | |
| #iv° | Ddim | D F Ab | |
| V | Eb | Eb G Bb | |
| vi | Fm | F Ab C | |
| vii | Gm | G Bb D |
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
Ab Lydian uses exactly the same notes as C natural minor, D Locrian, Eb major, F Dorian, G Phrygian and Bb Mixolydian. What changes is the note the music keeps returning to, and with it which chord sounds like home.
Same notes as the key of Eb major: the chords are the same seven, but with Ab as home.
How Ab Lydian is built
Lydian is the major scale with a raised 4th: against Ab major, Db becomes D. It has the same notes as Eb major, played from its 4th note. The raised 4th, D, is a tritone above the root, and it makes the chord on the 2nd note major (Bb); Ab to Bb and back is the bright, floating Lydian sound used in a lot of film music.
Played some notes and not sure which scale they come from? The scale finder listens to the piano, a MIDI keyboard or the microphone and ranks all 180 scales.
What this page cannot do
- One spelling per scale. the root is spelled the way that needs the fewest sharps and flats.
- Equal temperament only. Blues and many folk traditions bend notes between these pitches, and Arabic and Turkish maqam scales use quarter tones that a piano cannot play.
- The guitar diagram shows standard tuning only and does not suggest fingerings; any note can be played in several places.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, not a recorded instrument.