The Ab Lydian scale is Ab Bb C D Eb F G. It's shown below across all 24 frets: use the Shape menu to see each of the 5 positions, and press Play to hear it.
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See Mentorship PlansThe Ab Lydian scale has 7 notes: Ab Bb C D Eb F G. Its formula is 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7, and the gaps between the notes go W W W H W W H (W is a whole step of two frets, H is a half step of one fret). Ab Lydian uses the same notes as Eb major, its parent major scale. The difference is that everything centres on Ab.
Compared with Ab major, it has the sharp 4th (D) instead of the 4th (Db).
| Degree | Interval | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Root | A♭ |
| 2 | 2 | 2nd | B♭ |
| 3 | 3 | Major 3rd | C |
| 4 | #4 | Sharp 4th | D |
| 5 | 5 | 5th | E♭ |
| 6 | 6 | Major 6th | F |
| 7 | 7 | Major 7th | G |
The fretboard above shows Ab Lydian across all 24 frets. Its root, Ab, is on the low E string at the 4th fret, and Position 1 starts there. Use the Shape menu to see the 5 positions one at a time (plus the seven 3-notes-per-string shapes, great for speed and legato), press Play to hear the one you're looking at, and switch the labels to intervals to see where the root, 3rd and 5th sit in each shape.
Learn one position until you can play it up and down without looking, then learn the next one along and practise moving between the two. Before long the whole neck joins up.
These are the chords you get by stacking every other note of the scale on each degree. They're the chords that sound "at home" with Ab Lydian.
| Degree | Triad | 7th chord |
|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Abmaj7 |
| II | Bb | Bb7 |
| iii | Cm | Cm7 |
| iv° | Ddim | Dm7b5 |
| V | Eb | Ebmaj7 |
| vi | Fm | Fm7 |
| vii | Gm | Gm7 |
Lydian is a major mode with a raised 4th. It has a floating, dreamy quality you'll hear in film music and in the playing of guitarists like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.
Use it over Abmaj7 and Abmaj7#11 chords, and over a I to II vamp. The #4 is the note that makes it Lydian, so let it ring.
A♭ Major G♯ Minor G♯ Minor Pentatonic A♭ Major Pentatonic G♯ Blues A♭ Dorian G♯ Phrygian A♭ Mixolydian G♯ Locrian G♯ Harmonic Minor A♭ Melodic Minor
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The Ab Lydian scale is Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G.
The Lydian scale formula is 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7, which is a step pattern of W W W H W W H.
There are 5 positions, plus seven 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) shapes, one starting on each note of the scale. Use the Shape menu on this page to see each one on its own.
Compared with Ab major, it has the sharp 4th (D) instead of the 4th (Db).