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Guitar scale · Lydian mode

F Lydian Scale

Major scale with a ♯4 degree, creating dreamlike, mystical, celestial, and heroic lead lines.

Notes FGABCDE
Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Steps W W W H W W H
Mood Dreamy, Epic, Celestial
Heard in Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Sci-Fi Film Scores

Interactive scale diagram

F Lydian Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

How to play F Lydian on guitar

Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 1–5. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

F Lydian uses exactly the same notes as C major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the C Major Scale.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 F
2 G
3 A
♯4 B
5 C
6 D
7 E

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Questions

What notes are in the F Lydian Scale?
The F Lydian Scale has 7 notes: F, G, A, B, C, D, E.
What is the formula of the lydian scale?
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W W H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play F Lydian on the guitar?
The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Lydian Scale in every key

More scales in F