Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale
D flat Lydian Mode
Bright, floating and dreamy. The raised fourth removes the only 'avoid note' of the major scale, so the sound feels open, magical and slightly unresolved.
- 7 notes
- 4 ♭
- mode
1Composition: what it contains
D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C
- Formula
- 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W – W – W – H – W – W – H
- Number of notes
- 7
- Sharps and flats
- 4 ♭
- Also called
- fourth mode of the major scale, Lydian ♯4
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ | unison | 0 | tonic |
| 2 | E♭ | major second | 2 | supertonic |
| 3 | F | major third | 4 | mediant |
| ♯4 | G | augmented fourth | 6 | subdominant |
| 5 | A♭ | perfect fifth | 7 | dominant |
| 6 | B♭ | major sixth | 9 | submediant |
| 7 | C | major seventh | 11 | leading tone |
2Appearance: diagrams and sound
Tip: click any note, key or fret to hear it. Orange = root.
3Indications: what it is used for
Loved by film and game composers for wonder and flight, and by jazz and fusion players over major seventh chords with a ♯11. It fits the IV chord of a major key (it is the fourth mode of the major scale), progressions like I–II (major chord to major chord a whole step up) that define the mode, and static major vamps. Over a maj7♯11 or a maj7 chord on the tonic it is the jazz player's preferred choice because the raised fourth can be held without clashing with the major third.
4Dosage: how to practise it
Ten minutes daily over a loop of the I chord moving to the major II chord at 70–90 BPM. Sing or play the raised fourth against the root to memorise its colour. Practise two-octave runs, diatonic thirds and triad arpeggios built on each degree (especially the major triads on 1 and 2). On guitar, learn three-notes-per-string shapes and use ringing open strings or legato for a shimmering sound. On piano, voice the tonic as a major seventh chord with the ♯11 on top and improvise with the right hand.
5Warnings and common mistakes
Do not play it over a dominant seventh chord: you need the Lydian dominant for that (flat seventh). The raised fourth can sound like a wrong note to listeners expecting a plain major key, so make the mode clear with the harmony. Do not confuse it with the major scale starting on another note: think of the tonal centre. Over a sus4 chord the raised fourth clashes directly with the chord tone.
6Interactions with chords, scales and keys
Chords of the scale (triads)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | D♭ | D♭ – F – A♭ | |
| II | E♭ | E♭ – G – B♭ | |
| iii | Fm | F – A♭ – C | |
| ♯iv° | Gdim | G – B♭ – D♭ | |
| V | A♭ | A♭ – C – E♭ | |
| vi | B♭m | B♭ – D♭ – F | |
| vii | Cm | C – E♭ – G |
Chords of the scale (seventh chords)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | D♭maj7 | D♭ – F – A♭ – C | |
| II7 | E♭7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ | |
| iii7 | Fm7 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ | |
| ♯ivø7 | Gm7♭5 | G – B♭ – D♭ – F | |
| Vmaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ – C – E♭ – G | |
| vi7 | B♭m7 | B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭ | |
| vii7 | Cm7 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ |
Same notes, different starting point
7Other presentations available
The same scale from every note
- C Lydian Mode
- D Lydian Mode
- E flat Lydian Mode
- E Lydian Mode
- F Lydian Mode
- G flat Lydian Mode
- G Lydian Mode
- A flat Lydian Mode
- A Lydian Mode
- B flat Lydian Mode
- B Lydian Mode
Other scales from the same note
- D flat Major Scale
- C sharp Natural Minor Scale
- C sharp Harmonic Minor Scale
- C sharp Melodic Minor Scale
- C sharp Dorian Mode
- C sharp Phrygian Mode
- D flat Mixolydian Mode
- C sharp Locrian Mode
- D flat Major Pentatonic Scale
- C sharp Minor Pentatonic Scale
- C sharp Blues Scale
- D flat Major Blues Scale
- D flat Whole Tone Scale
- C sharp Half-Whole Diminished Scale
- C sharp Whole-Half Diminished Scale
- C sharp Phrygian Dominant Scale
- C sharp Hungarian Minor Scale
- D flat Lydian Dominant Scale
- C sharp Altered Scale
- C sharp Double Harmonic Major Scale
- D flat Bebop Dominant Scale
Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.