D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The D# 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 D#, G, A, A#, C#. 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: D#, G, A, A#, C#
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 4A, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 #3 4 b5
Formula: 4-W-H-WH-W
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
About Drop B Tuning
Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.
Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.
Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure
Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop D
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in DADGAD
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open G
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 7-string
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 8-string
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop C
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open D
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Half Step Down
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open E
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open A
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Double Drop D
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open C