Lydian dominant · C · Guitar
The C Lydian dominant scale is C D E F♯ G A B♭ — formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, step pattern W–W–W–H–W–H–W. Use it over C7♯11: it is the scale for dominant chords that do not resolve down a fifth — tritone substitutes, IV7, and 7♯11 chords. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play loops the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 8. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) | W |
| 2 | D | major 2nd (2 semitones) | W |
| 3 | E | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W |
| ♯4 | F♯ | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | A | major 6th (9 semitones) | H |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: C7♯11 (C – E – G – B♭). Use it for: dominant chords that do not resolve down a fifth — tritone substitutes, IV7, and 7♯11 chords.
Common questions
C D E F♯ G A B♭. As scale degrees: 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7. It has 7 notes.
C Lydian dominant fits C7♯11 and, more generally, dominant chords that do not resolve down a fifth — tritone substitutes, IV7, and 7♯11 chords.
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 — the step pattern from the root is W W W H W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root C on the low E string at fret 8, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 8, E-string fret 10, E-string fret 12, A-string fret 9, A-string fret 10, A-string fret 12, D-string fret 8, D-string fret 10. Every C on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Lydian dominant pages: Lydian dominant hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from C