Melodic MinorDegree 4

Lydian Dominant

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Scale NotesLydian Dominant in C
C
D
E
F♯
G
A
B♭
Interval Formula
123♯456♭7
Primary Chord
The tonic chord built from this mode
C7♯11

Chord Tones

CEGA♯F♯

All Diatonic Chords

C7♯11Dm7Em7♭5F♯m7♭5Gmaj7Am7Bm7
Chord Voicings
Guitar voicings for C7♯11
C7♯117Root, ♭7, 3, ♯11. The ♯11 gives a bright, floating Lydian dominant quality.
C7♯112Root, 3, ♭7, ♯11. Compact 5th-string voicing with ♯11 on top.
C7♯11Root, ♯11, ♭7, 3. Drop-2 voicing with ♯11 in the middle.
Fretboard

Lydian Dominant in C

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RootCharacteristic toneScale tone
Listen
Audio. Lydian Dominant in C
Tempo:
180 BPM

Musical Context

Diatonic Context
Chords built from the G melodic minor scale — click any chord for voicings
Where to Use Lydian Dominant
Primary Chord
C7♯11
Function
Subdominant
Key Context
The IV chord in G melodic minor

The sophisticated dominant sound.

Example Progressions
Progressions where Lydian Dominant applies (in C)
IV
IV: C7

Use Lydian Dominant on the highlighted chord

Static major 7th chord with Lydian color.

Practice in Play Along →
V → IV
V: D7IV: C7

Use Lydian Dominant on the highlighted chord

The tritone sub replaces V7 with ♭II7.

Practice in Play Along →
IV → vii°
IV: C7vii°: F♯m7♭5

Use Lydian Dominant on the highlighted chord

The i chord with a major 7th moving to a IV7 — both unique to melodic minor.

Practice in Play Along →
vii° → III⁺ → IV
vii°: F♯m7♭5III⁺: B♭maj7♯5IV: C7

Use Lydian Dominant on the highlighted chord

The classic backdoor cadence.

Practice in Play Along →
V → i → IV → vii°
V: D7i: Gm(maj7)IV: C7vii°: F♯m7♭5

Use Lydian Dominant on the highlighted chord

A chain of dominant chords where each resolves by fifth.

Practice in Play Along →
Arpeggio Connection
The arpeggio that matches the C7♯11 chord
Dominant 7th Sharp 11
C7♯11
Tones
C
R
E
3
G
5
B♭
♭7
F♯
#4
Highlighted = guide tones (define chord quality)

Sound

The sophisticated dominant sound. Mixolydian's bluesy confidence meets Lydian's brightness. it's a dominant chord that floats rather than pushes. Think Steely Dan, Allan Holdsworth, and modern jazz comping.

Practical Use Cases

  • ●Over dominant 7♯11 chords
  • ●Non-resolving dominant chords (backdoor dominants, ♭VII7)
  • ●Tritone substitutions
  • ●The IV7 chord in blues or jazz blues
  • ●Any dominant chord where you want brightness instead of tension

Practical Notes

One of the most useful scales in jazz guitar. Use it over any dominant chord where you want color without the pull of resolution. especially tritone subs and non-functioning dominants. The ♯4 (which is also the ♯11) replaces the natural 4th (an avoid note in Mixolydian), so every note in this scale sounds good over a dominant chord. It's the fourth mode of melodic minor: to play C Lydian Dominant, think G melodic minor. Essential for intermediate-to-advanced jazz.

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Musical Examples

Peg
commonly-cited
Steely Dan · Jazz/Rock

Steely Dan are commonly associated with Lydian Dominant harmony. Their chord voicings and soloists frequently exploit the #11 over dominant chords.

Practice Drills

Ascending & Descending in One PositionBeginnerTechnique
5 min

Play the mode ascending and descending within a single five-fret box. Build muscle memory and connect the sound to the shape.

Three-Notes-Per-String PatternsIntermediateTechnique
10 min

Play the mode using three notes on every string, stretching across the neck. Great for building legato technique and hearing the scale in a linear way.

Emphasize Characteristic Tones on Strong BeatsIntermediateImprovisation
10 min

Create short melodic phrases that land the mode's characteristic tone(s) on beats 1 and 3. This trains you to bring out the sound that defines the mode.

Improvise Over a Matching ChordBeginnerImprovisation
5 min

Play the mode's parent chord as a loop (or use a backing track) and improvise over it for two minutes. This connects the mode to its harmonic context.

Create 3 Licks Using Only Strings 1–3IntermediateImprovisation
10 min

Compose three short licks (2–4 beats each) using only the top three strings. This forces creativity within a constraint and builds upper-register vocabulary.

Resolve from Tension to StabilityIntermediateEar Training
8 min

Practice approaching chord tones from a half step above or below, training your ear to hear tension resolve.

Try Lydian Dominant in Play Along

Practice improvising over real chord changes with guided scale and target note suggestions.

Compare With

Mixolydian vs Lydian Dominant
Two dominant-quality scales from different parent families. Both have a b7 but differ on the 4th degree, giving them very different attitudes over dominant 7th chords.
Lydian vs Lydian Dominant
Two scales that share the signature ♯4 but serve different chord types. The 7th degree separates a major 7th scale from a dominant 7th scale. a critical functional distinction.
Altered vs Lydian Dominant
The two most important melodic minor modes for dominant chords, sitting at opposite ends of the tension spectrum. One creates maximum dissonance; the other creates maximum consonance with color.

Related Modes

MixolydianLydianAltered

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