guitar scale
A Lydian dominant
A1B2C♯3D♯♯4E5F♯6G♭7
Raised fourth and flattened seventh at once — the fourth mode of melodic minor.
Written out
Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.
The step pattern
AWBWC♯WD♯HEWF♯HGWA
What is true of it
A Lydian dominant is A, B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯ and G, and back to A.
Its steps are W – W – W – H – W – H – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.
On the same tonic, A Lydian differs from it by exactly one note.
Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 47 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.
Chords made only of these notes
C♯dimdiminishedC♯m7♭5half-diminished seventhD♯dimdiminishedD♯augaugmentedD♯m7♭5half-diminished seventhEmminorF♯mminorF♯m7minor seventh
Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.
Other scales on A
A Phrygian dominantexoticA alteredexoticA double harmonicexoticA majormajorA natural minorminorA harmonic minorminor
C lyd domC♯ lyd domD♭ lyd domD lyd domD♯ lyd domE♭ lyd domE lyd domF lyd domall 374