Lydian Mode In Jazz

The Lydian mode is the fourth mode of the major scale and it is used to play over major and major 7#11 chords. It has a much more modern and exotic sound to it than the standard major scale and thus it is a popular substitute for the Ionian mode when playing over major chords.

On of the main problems with using the major scale over a major chord is that the fourth note tends to sound a bit wrong and is generally considered by most jazz players as being a note to avoid when soloing. This is a good reason for using the Lydian mode over a major chord because it contains a raised fourth as opposed to a natural fourth and consequently there are no avoid notes in the Lydian scale.

The Lydian mode is a major scale but with a raised fourth. The notes of the Lydian mode are:

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

The intervals of the Lydian mode are:

1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7

The most common way to bring out the sound of the Lydian mode is to play the scale over a major7#11 chord. The notes of a C major7#11 chord are:

C, E, G, B, F#

The intervals of the major 7#11 chord are:

1, 3, 5, 7, #11

As with all modes, the best way to get started with learning the sounds and shapes of this mode are to play around and improvise with the scale over a static vamp. Try recording a major7#11 chord loop and play the scale over it to hear how it sounds. As well as having a more modern sound and no avoid notes, the Lydian mode sounds a lot more interesting than the major scale when soloing over major chords for any length of time.