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Scale · 7 notes

D♭ Lydian Dominant Scale

D♭ Lydian Dominant is a 7-note scale with the notes D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C♭. It sounds the fourth mode of melodic minor: Lydian with a flat 7th, bright and dominant at once, the sound of 7♯11 chords.

FGC♭D♭E♭A♭B♭

Purple = D♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every D♭ lydian dominant note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGB♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FG

Blue = D♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale

DegreeNoteName
1D♭Tonic
2E♭Supertonic
3FMediant
♯4GSubdominant
5A♭Dominant
6B♭Submediant
♭7C♭Subtonic

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C♭.

D♭ Lydian Dominant scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – W – W – H – W – H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7.

Chords in the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
ID♭D♭7
IIE♭E♭7
iii°F°Fø7
iv°G°Gø7
vA♭mA♭m(maj7)
viB♭mB♭m7
VII+C♭+C♭7♯5

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

How to practise the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale

Learn it as a rotation of a scale you already know (lydian dominant is melodic minor starting on its 4th note, altered starts on its 7th) and play it over the matching chord with a drone on the root.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale?

The notes of the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale are D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C♭.

What is the formula for the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – W – W – H – W – H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7.

What chords are in the D♭ Lydian Dominant scale?

Built from the scale in triads: D♭, E♭, F°, G°, A♭m, B♭m, C♭+.

More D♭ scales

D♭ Major, D♭ Melodic Minor, D♭ Dorian, D♭ Lydian, D♭ Mixolydian, D♭ Major Pentatonic, D♭ Minor Pentatonic, D♭ Whole Tone, D♭ Lydian Augmented, D♭ Bebop Dominant

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.