Scales
C Lydian Dominant Scale
C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb
The fourth mode of melodic minor — a raised fourth and a flattened seventh at once.
Also called C Lydian ♭7 · C acoustic · C overtone
C Lydian Dominant Scale
C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb
Fingering on the piano
| Hand | Fingering | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 | C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb · C | |
| Left hand | 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 | C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb · C |
One octave ascending; 1 is the thumb. A standard fingering, not the only one.
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Scale degrees
C Lydian Dominant is made of the notes C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb. Each is a degree counted from the tonic, and the gaps between them are the step pattern W W W H W H W.
Read on: scale degrees · building any scale
Chords in this key
Stacking thirds on each degree of C Lydian Dominant gives the chords of the key; the roman numeral names the degree each is built on.
Related scales
The scales C Lydian Dominant shares its notes with: the one it is a rotation of, the relative and parallel keys, the scales inside it and the ones that contain it.
Scales inside it
C Major PentatonicC · D · E · G · A
Every note of this scale is in C Lydian Dominant.
C Lydian Dominant PentatonicC · E · F# · G · Bb
Every note of this scale is in C Lydian Dominant.
C PrometheusC · D · E · F# · A · Bb
Every note of this scale is in C Lydian Dominant.
Scales that contain it
C Composite BluesC · D · Eb · E · F · Gb · G · A · Bb
Contains every note of C Lydian Dominant.
C ChromaticC · Db · D · Eb · E · F · Gb · G · Ab · A · Bb · B
Contains every note of C Lydian Dominant.
Understanding C Lydian Dominant
Names and spellings
C Lydian Dominant is also called C Lydian ♭7, C acoustic, C overtone; every one of those names means exactly these notes.
Lydian dominant, Lydian ♭7, acoustic scale and overtone scale all name this one scale: a Lydian with a flattened seventh, which is the fourth mode of the melodic minor.
How it is built
On C the scale is C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb, following the step pattern W W W H W H W. It is mixolydian with a raised fourth, or lydian with a flattened seventh — both descriptions give the same seven notes.
It is also called the acoustic scale, because its notes approximate the first several partials of the overtone series more closely than any diatonic scale does.
How it is used
It is the standard scale over a 7♯11 chord and over a tritone substitution, where the raised fourth belongs to the key being substituted into.
Bartók used it extensively, and it is a staple of fusion writing for exactly the reason jazz likes it: bright without being resolved.
Learn this properly
Chapter 17: Theory in StylesCommon questions
- What notes are in C Lydian Dominant?
- C Lydian Dominant contains C · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb. Find every scale that contains these notes with the scale finder.
- What chord does lydian dominant fit over?
- A dominant seventh with a sharp eleventh — 7♯11 — and any tritone substitution.
- Why is it called the acoustic scale?
- Its notes sit close to the natural overtone series, closer than any of the diatonic modes.
- How do I play C Lydian Dominant?
- On guitar start with the 1st position, played from the lowest string upward; the instrument panel on this page shows its frets and the positions further up the neck. On the piano the right hand ascends 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4, with 1 as the thumb. Every position plays when you press it.
- What chords are in the key of C Lydian Dominant?
- Stacking thirds on each degree of C Lydian Dominant gives C (I), D (II), Edim (iii°), F#dim (iv°), Gm (v), Am (vi), Bbaug (VII+). These are the diatonic chords of the key, the ones a song in this key uses most; the harmony band on this page lists them with the seventh chords built the same way.