STRINGSCALES

A lydian augmented Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E#, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

A string: A, B, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

D string: D#, E#, F#, G#, A, B, C# at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11

G string: G#, A, B, C#, D#, E#, F# at frets 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

B string: B, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A, B at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

High E string: E#, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

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A lydian augmented

The lydian augmented scale, the third mode of the melodic minor scale, raises both the 4th and 5th of a major scale. It outlines a maj7#5 chord with a #11, about the brightest and least grounded color mainstream jazz harmony uses. Reach for it when a major 7th chord should shimmer instead of rest.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

I+

Aaug
B

II

Bmaj
C♯

III

C♯maj
D♯

#iv°

D♯dim
E♯

#v°

E♯dim
F♯

vi

F♯m
G♯

vii

G♯m

Characteristic notes: D# (#4) and F (#5), the raised fourth and fifth floating over a melodic minor base.

Same notes, different mode

A lydian augmented uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

B lydian dominantC# mixolydian b6D# locrian #2E# alteredF# melodic minorG# dorian b2

lydian augmented in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Play it over maj7#5 chords: A lydian augmented is the only common scale containing both the #4 (D#) and #5 (F) above a major 7th frame.
  • Suspend rather than resolve: hold #IV (D#) or #V (F) over the chord and let the brightness hang.
  • Think melodic minor down a minor 3rd from A; the fingering transfers directly.
  • Use it for a two-chord lift: Amaj7#5 moving to the plain maj7 a whole step down turns the scale into an arrival effect.

How to play A lydian augmented on guitar

Open A is the tonic and the open B its major second, so two adjacent open strings already give you a usable pedal pair. Only those two belong. Roots return at fret 5 on both E strings, 7 on the D and 2 on the G. Aaug sits on I+, which means the tonic you just droned is part of an augmented triad. Position one closes at fret 9, so the 5th-fret shape is where most of the work sits.

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