E Lydian Dominant Bass Scale
Bass scale — fretboard diagram
E Lydian Dominant Scale — Notes and Intervals
The E Lydian Dominant scale, also known as the Acoustic scale, sounds bright, quirky, and dominant all at once. On Bass, its notes are E, F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D. It is widely used in jazz and animation music to solo over dominant chords that do not resolve in the traditional way. Commonly used in Jazz, Fusion, Blues, Film Scores. Notable players include Frank Zappa, Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny. Use over 7#11, 9#11 chords. Ideal for non-resolving dominant chords (the 'Simpsons chord'). Gives a sophisticated twist to blues progressions.
Notes: E, F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4A, 5P, 6M, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7
Formula: W-W-W-H-W-H-W
Number of notes: 7
Also known as: lydian b7, overtone
How to Play E Lydian Dominant on Bass
On bass, locate E on the E string at fret 0. Use a one-finger-per-fret approach starting from the root and span two to three strings. Keep your fretting hand relaxed and practice shifting between positions cleanly.
The E Lydian Dominant scale contains 4 sharps (F#, G#, A#, C#). Its relative minor is C# minor, which shares the same notes.
Practice Routine
Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the E Lydian Dominant scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.
Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on E to let the characteristic intervals of the Lydian Dominant scale come through clearly.
Bass Tips
On bass, use the E Lydian Dominant scale to build walking bass lines by targeting chord tones on strong beats and using scale tones as approach notes. This is the foundation of functional bass playing.
The E Lydian Dominant scale contains 7 notes (E, F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Bass with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for E Lydian Dominant
The E Lydian Dominant scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 7-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.