A Lydian scale
- Notes
- A B C# D# E F# G#
- Formula
- 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W W W H W W H (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- A Lydian mode
Seven notes from A up to the next A. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
A Lydian on the piano
From A4 to A5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from A
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | root | 0 |
| B | 2 | major second | 2 |
| C# | 3 | major third | 4 |
| D# | #4 | augmented fourth | 6 |
| E | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| F# | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| G# | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
A 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 A Lydian
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on A, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | A C# E | |
| II | B | B D# F# | |
| iii | C#m | C# E G# | |
| #iv° | D#dim | D# F# A | |
| V | E | E G# B | |
| vi | F#m | F# A C# | |
| vii | G#m | G# B D# |
Seventh chords
Same notes, different home note
A Lydian uses exactly the same notes as C# natural minor, D# Locrian, E major, F# Dorian, G# Phrygian and B 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 E major: the chords are the same seven, but with A as home.
How A Lydian is built
Lydian is the major scale with a raised 4th: against A major, D becomes D#. It has the same notes as E 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 (B); A to B 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.