B♭ Lydian mode (A♯ Lydian)
B♭ Lydian mode is B♭ – C – D – E – F – G – A, with B♭. Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
B♭ Lydian mode, note by note
The step pattern is W W W H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between E–F and A–B♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | |
| 2 | C | major second | |
| 3 | D | major third | |
| ♯4 | E | tritone | |
| 5 | F | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | G | major sixth | |
| 7 | A | major seventh |
How the Lydian mode sounds
B♭ Lydian is B♭ major with the 4th sharpened to E. It sounds major but never quite settles, which is exactly why people reach for it.
The Lydian color comes from C, a major chord on the 2nd degree; B♭ to C and back is the classic floating vamp.
Compared with B♭ major scale, B♭ Lydian mode has E where the other has E♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear B♭ major scale and compare.
B♭ Lydian mode uses the same seven notes as F major, starting from B♭ instead of F. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Lydian is playing it over a B♭ bass or chord.
On piano and on guitar
B♭ is on black key; the rest are white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 6th fret of the low E string and spans frets 4–10: 18 notes, 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 B♭ Lydian mode; the ones that differ from the F major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know B♭ Lydian mode, you already know the notes of C Mixolydian (starting on the 2nd note, C), D natural minor (starting on the 3rd note, D), E Locrian (starting on the 4th note, E), F major (starting on the 5th note, F), G Dorian (starting on the 6th note, G) and A Phrygian (starting on the 7th note, A).
Moving it around the guitar
Anchor points for B♭: low E string fret 6, A string fret 1 and 13. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 11 on the low E string. Hold a major chord and lean on the ♯4 to hear why film composers reach for it.
On the piano, B♭ Lydian mode uses 1 black key (B♭) and 6 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's B♭–D, C–E, D–F, E–G, F–A, G–B♭, A–C.
Practice patterns for B♭ Lydian mode
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: B♭ C D · C D E · D E F · E F G · F G A · G A B♭.
- Target E: B♭ E B♭ E B♭: the ♯4 floats where major has a plain 4th.
Close relatives of B♭ Lydian mode
Lydian mode in every key
B♭ Lydian mode: questions
What are the notes of the B♭ Lydian mode?
B♭, C, D, E, F, G and A, then B♭ again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the B♭ Lydian mode?
One: B♭.
What chords are in the B♭ Lydian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives B♭ (I), C (II), Dm (iii), Edim (iv°), F (V), Gm (vi) and Am (vii).
What's the difference between B♭ Lydian mode and B♭ major scale?
E in B♭ Lydian; E♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as B♭ Lydian mode?
F major. B♭ Lydian is F major played from its 4th note, B♭.
Generated from the step pattern 2-2-2-1-2-2-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.