A♭ Lydian mode (G♯ Lydian)
A♭ Lydian mode is A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G, with A♭, B♭ and E♭. Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
A♭ Lydian mode, note by note
Counted in steps it goes W W W H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D–E♭ and G–A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | root | |
| 2 | B♭ | major second | |
| 3 | C | major third | |
| ♯4 | D | tritone | |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | F | major sixth | |
| 7 | G | major seventh |
What A♭ Lydian sounds like
Lydian is a major mode with a raised 4th. The D gives it a floating, dreamy lift that film composers use for wonder and flight.
Over a A♭ chord, let D ring: it's the raised 4th, and it's what makes the mode shimmer.
Compared with A♭ major scale, A♭ Lydian mode has D where the other has D♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear A♭ major scale and compare.
A♭ Lydian mode uses the same seven notes as E♭ major, starting from A♭ instead of E♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Lydian is playing it over a A♭ bass or chord.
Playing A♭ Lydian
A♭, B♭ and E♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
On guitar the root sits at the 4th fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 2–8 and holds 18 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit A♭ Lydian mode; the ones that differ from the E♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know A♭ Lydian mode, you already know the notes of C natural minor (starting on the 3rd note, C), D Locrian (starting on the 4th note, D), E♭ major (starting on the 5th note, E♭), F Dorian (starting on the 6th note, F), G Phrygian (starting on the 7th note, G) and B♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 2nd note, B♭).
Moving it around the guitar
The root, A♭, sits at fret 4 on the low E string and 11 on the A string. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11) and you'll have it everywhere. Hold a major chord and lean on the ♯4 to hear why film composers reach for it.
On the piano, A♭ Lydian mode uses 3 black keys (A♭, B♭ and E♭) and 4 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: A♭–C, B♭–D, C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B♭, then back down.
Practice patterns for A♭ Lydian mode
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Up in threes: A♭ B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭.
- Target D: A♭ D A♭ D A♭: the ♯4 floats where major has a plain 4th.
Scales to compare with A♭ Lydian
Lydian mode in every key
A♭ Lydian mode: questions
What are the notes of the A♭ Lydian mode?
7 notes: A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭, F and G.
How many sharps or flats are in the A♭ Lydian mode?
Three: A♭, B♭ and E♭.
What chords are in the A♭ Lydian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives A♭ (I), B♭ (II), Cm (iii), Ddim (iv°), E♭ (V), Fm (vi) and Gm (vii).
What's the difference between A♭ Lydian mode and A♭ major scale?
D in A♭ Lydian; D♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as A♭ Lydian mode?
E♭ major. A♭ Lydian is E♭ major played from its 4th note, A♭.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.