D♭ Lydian dominantScale

Formula

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

D♭ Lydian dominant on the chromatic circle

D♭ 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 A♭I Melodic minor 6 B♭II Dorian ♭2 ♭7 C♭III Lydian augmented 1 D♭IV Lydian dominant 2 E♭V Mixolydian ♭6 3 FVI Locrian ♮2 ♯4 GVII Altered D♭ Lydian dominant
The whole neck

D♭ 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 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 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 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 3 ♯4
Harmony

Chords in D♭ 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
ID♭7D♭ F A♭ C♭
IIE♭7E♭ G B♭ D♭
iii°Fm7♭5F A♭ C♭ E♭
♯iv°Gm7♭5G B♭ D♭ F
vA♭m(maj7)A♭ C♭ E♭ G
viB♭m7B♭ D♭ F A♭
♭VII+C♭maj7♯5C♭ E♭ G B♭
Context

Where D♭ 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.

D♭ 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

D♭ Lydian dominant scale questions

What notes are in the D♭ Lydian dominant scale?

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

What is the D♭ 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 D♭ Lydian dominant scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of D♭ 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 C shape to the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape.

What chords are in the D♭ Lydian dominant scale?

D♭7 (I), E♭7 (II), Fm7♭5 (iii°), Gm7♭5 (♯iv°), A♭m(maj7) (v), B♭m7 (vi), C♭maj7♯5 (♭VII+).

When is the D♭ 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.