The Lydian Mode is one of the three major modes (along with the Mixolydian and the good old major scale Ionian). The Mixolydian is bluesy and rock ‘n’ roll, the Ionian simple and easy, but the Lydian is sweet and dreamy. That dreamy character I think comes from the lack of a dominant seventh chord on the fifth – instead we get a major seventh chord which has less of a pull toward the tonic.

There is also the sharp fourth, which can add an uneasiness to a major chord. Try playing a C chord with an F sharp or an F chord with a B to hear what I mean.

Construction

The lydian mode is almost the same as the ‘normal’ major scale, except that the fourth note is sharpened by one semitone. So in C lydian the notes would be C D E F# G A B C.

You can do the same to any major scale. For example, G lydian is G A B C# D E F# G. D lydian is D E F# G# A B C# D.

To generalise, the intervals in the lydian mode are:

Tone Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Semitone.

It might look like a tiny change but having that sharp fourth is what gives the lydian mode its character.

Chords:

The seven chords in this mode are:

IMaj7 II7 iiim7 IVhalf-dim Vmaj7 vimin7 viiMin7

In C Lydian: C Maj7 D7 Em7 F#half-dim Gmaj7 Amin7 BMin7
In G Lydian: G Maj7 A7 Bm7 C#half-dim Dmaj7 Emin7 F#Min7

Chord Progressions?

The Fleetwood Mac song above uses the most common chords in this mode – the tonic followed by the second, both of which are major. In this case E the F#, but you could try G then A, or C the D.

Some other possibilities:

C, Am,D, C.
C, Em, D, C.
C, Am, Bm, C.

My other posts in this series can be found here:

Know your Modes – Mixolydian

And here:

Know your Modes – Aeolian

Character

The Aeolian mode is also known as the minor scale. Or rather, it is in pop music. When a classical musician says ‘A minor’, they don’t quite mean the same thing as the popular musician. If you want to be technical, you could call it the ‘natural’ minor scale, but for most pop musicians ‘minor scale’ will do.

The aeolian mode can be used in your ‘normal’ minor key songs such as ‘Ain’t no sunshine’ which mostly uses chords i, iv and v, all minor.

However, if you focus on chords VI VII and i, you can get a sense of grandness that has been frequently used in pop and heavy metal. In fact that progression is one of the things that defines heavy metal as a seperate style from hard rock.

Construction

I prefer to compare modes to the ‘normal’ major scale. The major scale has these intervals:

• First
• Major second
• Major third
• Perfect fourth
• Perfect fifth
• Major sixth
• Major seventh
• Octave

The aeolian mode has minor intervals instead of minor, except for the second:

• First
• Major Second
• Minor Third
• Perfect Fourth
• Perfect fifth
• Minor Sixth
• Minor Seventh
• Octave

So, starting on an A note you’d have:   A B C D E F G A

E Aeolian: E F# G A B C D E
G Aeolian: G A Bb C D Eb F G

Chords:

imin7  iihalf-dim    IIImaj7 ivmin7 vmin7 VImaj7 VIIdom7

eg. Amin7 B half-dim Cmaj7 Dmin7 Emin7 Fmaj7 Gdom7

In the major scale, the fifth chord is important in cadences. For the Aeolian you can also use the fifth chord, though the ‘gravity’ from Emin7 to Amin7 is somewhat weaker than from G7 to C. More effective, in my opinion, is the use of the seventh chord. For example moving from G to Am can sound ‘finished’, moving back to G can sound unresolved.

This post is my second to look at a specific mode. Here’s the first: Know Your Modes – The Mixolydian

And here’s another good post on chords, from Gary Ewer: Chord Progressions that Change Key

The Mixolydian is a mode I associate with country, blues, heavy rock and the Beatles. It isn’t the only scale used in those styles, and it isn’t limited to those styles, but with it’s dominant seventh tonic chord and the emphasis on the seventh note of the scale, it always conjures up images of old fashioned, American rock. It’s a beer drinking, gibson chugging, guitar twangin’ mode (or at least, that’s how it feel to me).

Construction

The mixolydian mode is almost the same as the ‘normal’ major scale, except that the seventh note is flattened by one semitone. So in C Mixolydian the notes would be C D E F G A Bb C.

You can do the same to any major scale. For example, G mixolydian is G A B C D E F G (all the white notes on the keyboard starting at G). D mixolydian is D E F# G A B C D.

To generalise, the intervals in the mixolydian mode are:

Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Semitone, Tone

It might look like a tiny change but having that flattened seventh creates a very distinct harmony that is miles away from the major scale.

Chords:

The seven chords in those mode are:

I7 iimin7 iii Half-dim IV Maj7 v Min7 vi Min7 VII Maj7

In C Mixolydian: C7 Dmin7 E Half-dim F Maj7 G Min7 A Min7 Bb Maj7
In G Mixolydian: G7 Amin7 B Half-dim C Maj7 D Min7 E Min7 F Maj7

In the major scale, we’re used to chords VI and V being important. Chord V in particular often comes before I to form a cadence. In the Mixolydian mode, the VII chord performs a similar function, as in one of the most famous songs that uses the mixolydian mode, Sweet home Alabama:

What to do if you want that mixolydian sound? Try writing chord progressions that use chords I and VII, eg. C Bb F,    G C  F and work from there.