C Lydian Scale

C lydian

Notes

C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B

Intervals

  • RootC (1P)
  • Major 2ndD (2M)
  • Major 3rdE (3M)
  • Augmented 4thF♯ (4A)
  • Perfect 5thG (5P)
  • Major 6thA (6M)
  • Major 7thB (7M)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EF♯GABCDEBCDEF♯GABGABCDEF♯GDEF♯GABCDABCDEF♯GAEF♯GABCDE
Open in visualizer →

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

Modal character

C Lydian is the 4th mode of G 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 1open · frets 0–5
EBGDAE35EF♯GABCDEF♯GABCDEF♯GA
Pattern 2frets 2–7
EBGDAE357F♯GABCDEF♯GABCDEF♯GAB
Pattern 3frets 3–8
EBGDAE3579GABCDEF♯GABCDEF♯GABC
Pattern 4frets 5–10
EBGDAE579ABCDEF♯GABCDEF♯GABCD
Pattern 5frets 7–12
EBGDAE791213BCDEF♯GABCDEF♯GABCDE
Pattern 6frets 8–14
EBGDAE912131415CDEF♯GABCDEF♯GABCDEF♯
Pattern 7frets 10–15
EBGDAE1213141516DEF♯GABCDEF♯GABCDEF♯G

Quartal voicings

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

All voicings
EBGDAE3EADG
E root
EBGDAE3ADGC
A root
EBGDAE35EADG
E root
EBGDAE35F♯BEA
F# root
EBGDAE35BEAD
B root
EBGDAE57F♯BEA
F# root
EBGDAE57ADGC
A root
EBGDAE79EADG
E root
EBGDAE79ADGC
A root
EBGDAE79BEAD
B root
EBGDAE912F♯BEA
F# root
EBGDAE912BEAD
B root

Diagrams

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

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