B♭ Lydian dominantScale

Formula

W W W H W H W 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
The family

B♭ Lydian dominant on the chromatic circle

B♭ Lydian dominant is the 4th mode of the Melodic minor family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W H W W W W H 5 FI Melodic minor 6 GII Dorian ♭2 ♭7 A♭III Lydian augmented 1 B♭IV Lydian dominant 2 CV Mixolydian ♭6 3 DVI Locrian ♮2 ♯4 EVII Altered B♭ Lydian dominant
The whole neck

B♭ Lydian dominant across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6
Harmony

Chords in B♭ Lydian dominant

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
IB♭7B♭ D F A♭
IIC7C E G B♭
iii°Dm7♭5D F A♭ C
♯iv°Em7♭5E G B♭ D
vFm(maj7)F A♭ C E
viGm7G B♭ D F
♭VII+A♭maj7♯5A♭ C E G
Context

Where B♭ Lydian dominant fits

Over dominant 7 chords that do not resolve down a fifth: 7♯11 chords, the ♭VII7 and tritone substitutes in jazz. Also heard in fusion and film music.

B♭ Lydian dominant is mode 4 of the melodic minor family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Lydian dominant scale in every key

B♭ Lydian dominant scale questions

What notes are in the B♭ Lydian dominant scale?

B♭ C D E F G A♭. As degrees from the root: 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7.

What is the B♭ Lydian dominant scale formula?

1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, W W W H W H W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the B♭ Lydian dominant scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of B♭ Lydian dominant up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape.

What chords are in the B♭ Lydian dominant scale?

B♭7 (I), C7 (II), Dm7♭5 (iii°), Em7♭5 (♯iv°), Fm(maj7) (v), Gm7 (vi), A♭maj7♯5 (♭VII+).

When is the B♭ Lydian dominant scale used?

Over dominant 7 chords that do not resolve down a fifth: 7♯11 chords, the ♭VII7 and tritone substitutes in jazz. Also heard in fusion and film music.