F Lydian mode
F Lydian mode is F – G – A – B – C – D – E, all naturals. Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
Notes and steps
The step pattern is W W W H W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between B–C and E–F.
| Degree | Note | Interval from F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | root | |
| 2 | G | major second | |
| 3 | A | major third | |
| ♯4 | B | tritone | |
| 5 | C | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | D | major sixth | |
| 7 | E | major seventh |
How the Lydian mode sounds
F Lydian is F major with the 4th sharpened to B. It sounds major but never quite settles, which is exactly why people reach for it.
The Lydian color comes from G, a major chord on the 2nd degree; F to G and back is the classic floating vamp.
Compared with F major scale, F Lydian mode has B where the other has B♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear F major scale and compare.
F Lydian mode uses the same seven notes as C major, starting from F instead of C. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Lydian is playing it over a F bass or chord.
Playing F Lydian
On the piano it uses only white keys.
On guitar the root sits at the 1st fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 0–5 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 F Lydian mode; the ones that differ from the C major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
F Lydian mode shares all its notes with C major (starting on the 5th note, C), D Dorian (starting on the 6th note, D), E Phrygian (starting on the 7th note, E), G Mixolydian (starting on the 2nd note, G), A natural minor (starting on the 3rd note, A) and B Locrian (starting on the 4th note, B). Which one you hear depends on which note the music treats as home.
Finding F Lydian on the neck
Anchor points for F: low E string fret 1 and 13, A string fret 8. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10. Hold a major chord and lean on the ♯4 to hear why film composers reach for it.
On the piano, F Lydian mode uses no black keys at all.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: F–A, G–B, A–C, B–D, C–E, D–F, E–G.
Three ways to practise F Lydian
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Up in threes: F G A · G A B · A B C · B C D · C D E · D E F.
- Land on B: F B F B F: the ♯4 floats where major has a plain 4th.
Scales to compare with F Lydian
Lydian mode in every key
F Lydian mode: questions
What are the notes of the F Lydian mode?
7 notes: F, G, A, B, C, D and E.
How many sharps or flats are in the F Lydian mode?
Zero: F Lydian is all naturals.
What chords are in the F Lydian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives F (I), G (II), Am (iii), Bdim (iv°), C (V), Dm (vi) and Em (vii).
What's the difference between F Lydian mode and F major scale?
B in F Lydian; B♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as F Lydian mode?
C major. F Lydian is C major played from its 4th note, F.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.