E♭ Lydian mode (D♯ Lydian)
E♭ Lydian mode is E♭ – F – G – A – B♭ – C – D, with E♭ and B♭. Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
Notes and steps
From E♭ upward the gaps are W W W H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between A–B♭ and D–E♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from E♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | root | |
| 2 | F | major second | |
| 3 | G | major third | |
| ♯4 | A | tritone | |
| 5 | B♭ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | C | major sixth | |
| 7 | D | major seventh |
What E♭ Lydian sounds like
Lydian is a major mode with a raised 4th. The A gives it a floating, dreamy lift that film composers use for wonder and flight.
Over a E♭ chord, let A ring: it's the raised 4th, and it's what makes the mode shimmer.
Compared with E♭ major scale, E♭ Lydian mode has A where the other has A♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear E♭ major scale and compare.
E♭ Lydian mode uses the same seven notes as B♭ major, starting from E♭ instead of B♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Lydian is playing it over a E♭ bass or chord.
Playing E♭ Lydian
E♭ and B♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 11th fret of the low E string and spans frets 9–15: 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 E♭ Lydian mode; the ones that differ from the B♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
Same notes, different home: C Dorian (starting on the 6th note, C), D Phrygian (starting on the 7th note, D), F Mixolydian (starting on the 2nd note, F), G natural minor (starting on the 3rd note, G), A Locrian (starting on the 4th note, A) and B♭ major (starting on the 5th note, B♭). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
Finding E♭ Lydian on the neck
Find E♭ first: fret 11 of the 6th string, fret 6 of the 5th. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 4, 6, 8 and 11. Hold a major chord and lean on the ♯4 to hear why film composers reach for it.
On the piano, E♭ Lydian mode uses 2 black keys (E♭ and B♭) and 5 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's E♭–G, F–A, G–B♭, A–C, B♭–D, C–E♭, D–F.
Drills for E♭ Lydian
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside E♭ Lydian mode.
- Groups of three: E♭ F G · F G A · G A B♭ · A B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D E♭.
- Land on A: E♭ A E♭ A E♭: the ♯4 floats where major has a plain 4th.
Close relatives of E♭ Lydian mode
Lydian mode in every key
E♭ Lydian mode: questions
What are the notes of the E♭ Lydian mode?
7 notes: E♭, F, G, A, B♭, C and D.
How many sharps or flats are in the E♭ Lydian mode?
Two: E♭ and B♭.
What chords are in the E♭ Lydian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives E♭ (I), F (II), Gm (iii), Adim (iv°), B♭ (V), Cm (vi) and Dm (vii).
What's the difference between E♭ Lydian mode and E♭ major scale?
A in E♭ Lydian; A♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as E♭ Lydian mode?
B♭ major. E♭ Lydian is B♭ major played from its 4th note, E♭.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 and tested. Updated September 2026.