A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale is a streamlined five-note scale built directly around the structure of a dominant seventh chord. On Guitar, its notes are A, C#, D#, E, G. It is a highly efficient tool for jazz and bebop players who need to navigate rapid harmonic changes with rhythmic precision and clarity. Commonly used in Jazz, Bebop, Fusion. Notable players include Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino. Use over 7#11, 9#11 chords. Efficient for fast bebop lines over non-resolving dominant chords.
Notes: A, C#, D#, E, G
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 4A, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 #3 4 b5
Formula: 4-W-H-WH-W
Number of notes: 5
How to Play A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 5 on the 6th (low E) to find your A root note. With only 5 notes, this scale fits comfortably in a two-notes-per-string pattern across all six strings. Focus on learning a single box shape first before connecting positions.
The A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale contains 2 sharps (C#, D#). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale ascending and descending at 80 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (A-D#, C#-E) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.
This scale works well over simple power chord progressions or a 12-bar blues in A. Try a A5 - E5 - G5 progression.
Guitar Tips
Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently.
The A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale contains 5 notes (A, C#, D#, E, G). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic
The A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic 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 5-note pentatonic scale, 2-notes-per-string patterns are the most ergonomic way to traverse the fretboard. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.
Explore A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic Further
- Harmonize the A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic on Ukulele
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic on Bass
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic on Piano
Explore A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Other Tunings
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)