Lydian Dominant Scale

The lydian dominant scale sounds very jazzy and is great when used properly. As the name says, it's a combination of the lydian and the dominant (also known as a mixolydian scale) to create a scale with a raised 4th and a lowered 7th. It is a diatonic scale melodic minor. This scale is very natural to music because it is the scale the overtone series creates (it's alright if you don't know what that means, it involves the physics of sound). Here it is in C:

lydian dominant scale, mixolydian, #4, b7

The best place to play this scale is on substitute dominant chords or other dominant chords that aren't the V7 chord and it really does sound great. Also this is a great scale to end a song on.

Go back to Music Scales or go to The Jazz Resource Homepage