How to learn music : Scales and Modes : The Lydian Mode - learning to play and read music

Lets learn to play and read music by taking a peak at the fourth mode of the Major Scale: the Lydian Mode.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Taken the lesson on the Major Scale, the musical alphabet, and possibly the article on intervals.

1. Review the Major Scale. There are seven notes in the Major Scale (a heptatonic scale). Each note is called a degree. In the C Major Scale [C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7] For example, You would say, "E is scale degree 3 in the C Major Scale". Lydian is the fourth mode.

2. Construct the Lydian mode. To form the F Lydian mode or scale play [F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F]. Another way to think of this scale is as a Major scale with a raised 4th scale Degree. So F Lydian is equivalent to an F Major scale with a raised 4th scale degree, that means with a B natural instead of B-flat.

3. Analyze the interval content. If you wish to think of the mode by intervalic information then the Ionian mode contains the following intervals, M2,M3,A4,P5,M6,M7,P8. [M=Major, m = minor, P = Perfect, d = diminished, A=Augmented]

4. Proceed to the next mode, Mixolydian, to further enhance your understanding of Modes. The complete list of modes are: [1=Ionian, 2=Dorian, 3=Phrygian, 4=Lydian, 5=Mixolydian, 6=Aeolian, 7=Locrian]

5. Learn to play and read more music by using the mode for composition and improvisation. Because of the M3,A4,P5, and m7 intervals contained in the mode, this mode is often used to solo over M7#11 chords.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use the #4 as a leading tone in into the dominant. In other word, you can use C lydian as you approach a G chord.