STRINGSCALES

C lydian dominant b6 Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

A string: Bb, C, D, E, F#, G, Ab at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11

D string: D, E, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E, F#, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

B string: C, D, E, F#, G, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11

High E string: E, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

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C lydian dominant b6

The lydian dominant b6 scale, the fourth mode of the neapolitan major scale, is lydian dominant with its 6th lowered, the same collection catalogued as the lydian minor scale. Bright #4 below, dark b6 and b7 above: a dominant color that promises resolution to minor. It fits 7#11b13 chords and film-score cadences.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

C

I

Cmaj
D

II

Dmaj♭5
E

iii°

Edim
F♯

#IV

A♭7no5/F#
G

v

Gm
A♭

bVI+

A♭aug
B♭

bVII+

B♭aug

Same notes, different mode

C lydian dominant b6 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.

D major locrianE half-diminished b4F# altered dominant double b3G neapolitan majorAb leading whole toneBb lydian augmented dominant

lydian dominant b6 in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Bright below, dark above: feature #IV (F#) rising against b6 (Ab) falling, the scale's push-pull, over a dominant chord on C.
  • Use it on a V7#11 resolving to minor: the b6 (Ab) pre-hears the minor destination the same way mixolydian b6 (Ab) does.
  • The same collection is catalogued as lydian minor; whichever name you reach it by, III and bVII (Bb) remain the guide tones.
  • As the fourth mode of neapolitan major, it shares all notes with the neapolitan major a 4th below C.

How to play C lydian dominant b6 on guitar

Open G sounds the fifth and both E strings the major third, so a droning open bass genuinely supports this key. Four open strings fall in the scale. Same fingering answers to C lydian minor, which means one shape covers both names. Roots run fret 1 on the B string, fret 3 on the A string, fret 8 on the low E, before box one ends at fret 12.

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