Lydian dominant · C · Piano
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 two-octave keyboard; press play to hear it on a synthesized piano while each note lights up, or tap any key to sound that note.
Visualizer
Piano
Guitar · standard tuning
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). “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).
Play C D E F♯ G A B♭ C ascending from the root, then descend. The keyboard above shows every root in gold, chord tones outlined in amber and the remaining scale tones in teal; use the Play button to hear the fingering tempo.
Keep going
Same scale on guitar · all Lydian dominant pages: Lydian dominant hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from C