Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale
D 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
- 3 ♯
- 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
- 3 ♯
- 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 | F♯m | F♯ – A – C♯ | |
| ♯iv° | G♯dim | G♯ – B – D | |
| V | A | A – C♯ – E | |
| vi | Bm | B – D – F♯ | |
| vii | C♯m | C♯ – E – G♯ |
Chords of the scale (seventh chords)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Dmaj7 | D – F♯ – A – C♯ | |
| II7 | E7 | E – G♯ – B – D | |
| iii7 | F♯m7 | F♯ – A – C♯ – E | |
| ♯ivø7 | G♯m7♭5 | G♯ – B – D – F♯ | |
| Vmaj7 | Amaj7 | A – C♯ – E – G♯ | |
| vi7 | Bm7 | B – D – F♯ – A | |
| vii7 | C♯m7 | C♯ – E – G♯ – B |
Same notes, different starting point
7Other presentations available
The same scale from every note
- C Lydian Mode
- D flat 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 Major Scale
- D Natural Minor Scale
- D Harmonic Minor Scale
- D Melodic Minor Scale
- D Dorian Mode
- D Phrygian Mode
- D Mixolydian Mode
- D Locrian Mode
- D Major Pentatonic Scale
- D Minor Pentatonic Scale
- D Blues Scale
- D Major Blues Scale
- D Whole Tone Scale
- D Half-Whole Diminished Scale
- D Whole-Half Diminished Scale
- D Phrygian Dominant Scale
- D Hungarian Minor Scale
- D Lydian Dominant Scale
- D Altered Scale
- D Double Harmonic Major Scale
- D 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.