A# Lydian Dominant Guitar Scale

A# Lydian Dominant Scale — Notes and Intervals

The A# Lydian Dominant scale, also known as the Acoustic scale, sounds bright, quirky, and dominant all at once. On Guitar, its notes are A#, C, D, E, F, G, G#. 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: A#, C, D, E, F, G, G#

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

Musical Character

Combines Lydian's floating brightness (#4) with Mixolydian's bluesy dominance (b7). The result is a scale that is both dreamy and grounded — bright without being sweet.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Jazz, Fusion, Blues, Film Scores

Notable players: Frank Zappa, Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny

How to Use the A# Lydian Dominant Scale

Use over 7#11, 9#11 chords. Ideal for non-resolving dominant chords (the 'Simpsons chord'). Gives a sophisticated twist to blues progressions.

Origin & Background

Also called the Acoustic scale or Overtone scale because it closely matches the natural harmonic series.

How to Play A# Lydian Dominant on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 6 on the 6th (low E) to find your A# root note. Use a three-notes-per-string fingering to cover the full scale in one position, or learn the CAGED shapes to navigate the entire fretboard. An alternative starting point is 1st fret on the A string.

The A# Lydian Dominant scale contains 2 sharps (A#, G#). Its relative minor is G minor, which shares the same notes.

Practice Routine

Begin by playing the A# Lydian Dominant scale ascending and descending at 100 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.

Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on A# to let the characteristic intervals of the Lydian Dominant scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in film scores contexts.

Guitar Tips

Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the A# Lydian Dominant scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently. Aim for a bright quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

Lydian Dominant is the 4th mode of the Melodic Minor scale (Acoustic scale). View A# Melodic minor scale

• A# Lydian
• A# Mixolydian
• A# Lydian dominant pentatonic
• A# Prometheus

The A# Lydian Dominant scale contains 7 notes (A#, C, D, E, F, G, 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

The A# 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.

Explore A# Lydian Dominant Further

• Harmonize the A# Lydian Dominant scale — triads & 7th chords
• Browse chord progressions
• A# Lydian Dominant on Ukulele
• A# Lydian Dominant on Bass
• A# Lydian Dominant on Piano

Explore A# Lydian Dominant in Other Tunings

• A# Lydian Dominant in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
• A# Lydian Dominant in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
• A# Lydian Dominant in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
• A# Lydian Dominant in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
• A# Lydian Dominant in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)

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