A♭ Lydian Scale

A♭ lydian

Notes

A♭ · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F · G

Intervals

  • RootA♭ (1P)
  • Major 2ndB♭ (2M)
  • Major 3rdC (3M)
  • Augmented 4thD (4A)
  • Perfect 5thE♭ (5P)
  • Major 6thF (6M)
  • Major 7thG (7M)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912FGA♭B♭CDE♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭GA♭B♭CDE♭FGDE♭FGA♭B♭CDB♭CDE♭FGA♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭
Open in visualizer →

Adjust labels, frets, and palette in the interactive view.

Modal character

A♭ Lydian is the 4th mode of E♭ Major — the same seven notes started from its 4th degree.

1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7

Characteristic note — sharp 4th (♯4 / ♯11). The raised 4th — heard as a ♯11 over a major chord — gives Lydian its bright, floating, film-score quality.

Lydian is the natural mode of the IV chord and lives over maj7, maj9, and maj7♯11 voicings. It is a staple of modern jazz and cinematic writing, where the ♯11 adds lift without the downward pull of the perfect 4th.

Chords that use this mode

3-Notes-Per-String positions

Seven movable patterns, each covering all 6 strings with 3 consecutive scale tones per string. Root notes are shown in red.

All 7 patterns
Pattern 1frets 1–6
EBGDAE357FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭
Pattern 2frets 3–8
EBGDAE3579GA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭C
Pattern 3frets 4–10
EBGDAE579A♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CD
Pattern 4frets 6–11
EBGDAE7912B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭
Pattern 5frets 8–13
EBGDAE9121314CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭F
Pattern 6frets 10–15
EBGDAE1213141516DE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FG
Pattern 7frets 11–16
EBGDAE121314151617E♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭B♭CDE♭FGA♭

Quartal voicings

Stacked perfect 4ths across four adjacent strings, sorted nut to heel. Root notes are circled in red.

All voicings
EBGDAE3FB♭E♭A♭
F root
EBGDAE35CFB♭E♭
C root
EBGDAE3DGCF
D root
EBGDAE35GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE57DGCF
D root
EBGDAE35FB♭E♭A♭
F root
EBGDAE9CFB♭E♭
C root
EBGDAE9FB♭E♭A♭
F root
EBGDAE57GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE1213DGCF
D root
EBGDAE1213GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE1213CFB♭E♭
C root

Diagrams

Ab Lydian Scale fretboard charts — tap any diagram to open it full size to save or print.

Ab Lydian Scale — notes Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G shown across the full guitar fretboard, frets 0 to 12.
Whole neck — frets 0–12
Ab Lydian Scale — seven 3-notes-per-string positions shown as fretboard neck slices.
Seven 3NPS positions
Ab Lydian Scale — quartal voicings shown as chord-box diagrams for all four roots.
Quartal voicings — 3 string sets, sorted nut to heel