E Lydian Minor Guitar Scale — Drop B

Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram

E Lydian Minor in Drop B — Notes and Intervals

The E Lydian Minor scale is a unique scale that blends Lydian brightness with a layer of minor-key melancholy. On Guitar, the notes are E, F#, G#, A#, B, C, D. It provides a sophisticated, bittersweet color that is perfect for modern film scores and emotive jazz solos. Commonly used in Film Scores, Jazz, Progressive. Notable players include Danny Elfman, Brad Mehldau. Use over m7#11 chords. A specialized color for emotive jazz and cinematic passages that need emotional complexity.

Notes: E, F#, G#, A#, B, C, D

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4A, 5P, 6m, 7m

Degrees: 1 2 3 #4 5 b6 b7

Formula: W-W-W-H-H-W-W

Number of notes: 7

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.

DeathcoreDjentProgressive MetalExtreme MetalMetalcore

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

← All Guitar scales in Drop B tuning