STRINGSCALES

D lydian augmented Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

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

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

B string: B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A#, B at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

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

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D 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:

D

I+

Daug
E

II

Emaj
F♯

III

F♯maj
G♯

#iv°

G♯dim
A♯

#v°

A♯dim
B

vi

Bm
C♯

vii

C♯m

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

Same notes, different mode

D 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.

E lydian dominantF# mixolydian b6G# locrian #2A# alteredB melodic minorC# dorian b2

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

tip
  • Play it over maj7#5 chords: D lydian augmented is the only common scale containing both the #4 (G#) and #5 (A#) above a major 7th frame.
  • Suspend rather than resolve: hold #IV (G#) or #V (A#) over the chord and let the brightness hang.
  • Think melodic minor down a minor 3rd from D; the fingering transfers directly.
  • Use it for a two-chord lift: Dmaj7#5 moving to the plain maj7 a whole step down turns the scale into an arrival effect.

How to play D lydian augmented on guitar

Open D is the root, both E strings a major second above it and the open B a major sixth, so four strings ring inside the key untouched. Daug is the I+ chord. Fretted roots wait at 10 on the E strings, 5 on the A and 7 on the G, which means the 10th-fret box holds two of them. Same shape 2 semitones up reads as E lydian dominant. First box ends at fret 14, so plan the shift.

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