Scales › Lydian augmented (Lydian ♯5)

Lydian augmented (Lydian ♯5) scale

suspended Lydian ♯5

Lydian augmented (Lydian ♯5) on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the Lydian augmented (Lydian ♯5) scale laid out across the whole neck, from fret 0 to fret 15. The guide tones (3rd and 7th) are highlighted — they're what makes the scale's color sing. Use the key selector above to shift the shape along the neck and find the positions in your key.

What color?

Lydian with an augmented fifth: #11 and #5 together give a floating, unreal major color, the sound of maj7#5. You go for it for an airy, expansive major, or on augmented chords with a bright color.

Origin & history

The third mode of the melodic minor: a Lydian with an augmented fifth, soaring and luminous. The color of choice over maj7♯5 chords, in jazz and film music.

Which chords to play it on?

The jazz consensus (Aebersold) recommends it on:

Sibling modes

The Lydian augmented (Lydian ♯5) scale is one of the modes of the melodic minor : it shares exactly the same notes as the modes below, but built on a different degree of the parent scale (melodic minor).

Try it in a real chart

Paste a chord chart into the tool: Pentania tells you, chord by chord, when this scale fits — and what other colors are open to you. Open the tool →