The Lydian Dominant mode – scale formula, parent scales, and note names for all keys

You can find a table detailing all the notes of all 12 Lydian Dominant modes below. Jump to table.

The Lydian Dominant mode is a mode I have recently become more fascinated with, due to its sometimes otherworldly sound, a bit like the Lydian mode (not the same mode), but with a little less fragile brightness. It still has that shimmer of light, but the flattened 7th scale degree grounds it slightly. It is another versatile mode (versatile like the Dorian, see my article) that takes on a different character depending on context. It can sound mysterious, exotic, tense, unsettled, magical, luminous, jazzy, even dark (a seeming contradiction with luminosity).

Listen – original music of mine using the Lydian Dominant mode

Here are improvisations of mine using the Lydian Dominant mode as a complete section with a chord progression within the mode:

The Whitethorn Limen — Improvisation in A Dorian, G♯ Aeolian, A Minor & Dorian ♭2, B♭ Lydian Dominant

In contrast, I used it only as a brief hint of colour in the following improvisations, where for me it was expressing a sense of wonder and mystery, as well as an unsettled feeling of suspension — brightness with a dark edge — a dream with a shimmer, but with an eerie undertone of uncertainty. 

I used it as a chord-scale pairing, over a dominant 7th chord, as it is commonly used. It is also often used over a dominant 7♯11 chord (e.g. C7♯11).

Through Line – Improvisation in C Dorian, C Mixolydian ♭6, and C Lydian Dominant

More improvisations using the Lydian Dominant mode

How to work out the Lydian Dominant mode

The Lydian Dominant is the 4th mode of the melodic minor scale.

It is built on the 4th degree of its parent melodic minor scale and has the scale formula:
1 – 2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7 – 8

It is also known as the overtone scale, because it resembles (but doesn’t replicate) the overtone series of the fundamental — the harmonics of a musical note. The fundamental is the basic pitch of the note, and the harmonics or overtones are higher frequency sounds that combine with the fundamental to form the timbre (tone colour) of any particular instrument, with different combinations of strengths of each harmonic creating the unique timbre. 

The Lydian Dominant mode combines the bright raised 4th of Lydian with the flat 7th of Mixolydian, resulting in a modern, sometimes jazzy tension; and the brightness of the Lydian without being quite as ethereal, as the flat 7 dials down the delicate lightness slightly. 

All 12 Lydian Dominant Modes and Their Parent Melodic Minor Scales

Lydian Dominant Mode	Notes	Parent Melodic Minor Scale
C Lydian Dominant	C – D – E – F♯ – G – A – B♭ – C	G Melodic Minor
C♯ / Db Lydian Dominant	C♯ – D♯ – E♯ – F𝄪 – G♯ – A♯ – B – C♯	G♯ / A♭ Melodic Minor
D Lydian Dominant	D – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C – D	A Melodic Minor
Eb Lydian Dominant	E♭ – F – G – A – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭	B♭ Melodic Minor
E Lydian Dominant	E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B – C♯ – D – E	B Melodic Minor
F Lydian Dominant	F – G – A – B – C – D – E♭ – F	C Melodic Minor
F♯ Lydian Dominant	F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B♯ – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯	C♯ Melodic Minor
G Lydian Dominant	G – A – B – C♯ – D – E – F – G	D Melodic Minor
Ab Lydian Dominant	A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭	E♭ Melodic Minor
A Lydian Dominant	A – B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G – A	E Melodic Minor
B♭  Lydian Dominant	B♭ – C – D – E – F – G – A♭ – B♭	F Melodic Minor
B Lydian Dominant	B – C♯ – D♯ – E♯ – F♯ – G♯ – A – B	F♯ Melodic Minor

You can learn more about modes in general here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales

You might also be interested in learning about the Dorian mode, the Phrygian mode, or the Mixolydian flat 6 mode.

Read about more modes here

I hope you have found this article useful and that you have enjoyed my experimentations in the Lydian Dominant mode.

Some of my students have described this mode as haunting, mysterious, eerie, magical, jazzy … what do you hear when you listen to a piece of music using the Lydian Dominant mode?