Lydian chord

Lydian chord on C Play (help·info).

In jazz music, the lydian chord is the major

7♯11 chord,[1] or ♯11 chord, the chord built
on the first degree of the lydian mode, the
sharp eleventh being a compound
augmented fourth. It is described as
"beautiful" and "modern sounding."[1]
The notes that make up the Lydian chord
represent 5 of the 7 notes of the Lydian
mode, and the ♯11 at the top of the chord
is the ♯4 (one octave higher) that
distinguishes the Lydian mode from the
major scale.

0:10 / 0:10

F Lydian Chord and Lydian Mode

Major 7♯11 may also refer to the Lydian

augmented chord, an augmented seventh
chord with augmented fourth appearing in
the Lydian augmented scale
Play (help·info).[2]

In a chord chart the notation, "Lydian"

indicates a major family chord with an
added augmented eleventh, including
maj7♯11, add9♯11, and 6♯11.[1]

Harmonic function
Lydian chords may function as
subdominants or substitutes for the tonic
in major keys.[3]
Lydian chord: CM13♯11 Play (help·info).

Lydian (CΔ♯11):

r, 3, 5, 7, (9), ♯11, (13)

The Lydian chord has a peculiarity, in
that placing the root both above and
below the augmented eleventh creates
an unpleasant dissonance of a tritone.
The interval of the sixth is used even
though it is described after other
compound intervals, and perhaps should
also be a compound interval (i.e.,
thirteenth). The interval is considered to
be the compound interval(i.e.,
 thirteenth) when appearing with the
Maj7th in the initial chord.

Thirteenth chord: C13♯11 Play (help·info).[4]

The dominant 7♯11 or Lydian dominant

(C7♯11) comprises the notes:

r, 3, (5), ♭7, (9), ♯11, (13)

Basing this chord on the pitch C results in

the pitches:

C, E, G, B♭, (D), F♯, (A)

The same chord type may also be voiced:

C, E, B♭, F♯, A, D, F♯

This voicing omits the perfect fifth (G) and

raises the major ninth (D) by an octave.
The augmented eleventh (F♯) is also
played twice in two different registers.
This is known as "doubling".

Sources
1. Juergensen, Chris (2006). The Infinite
Guitar, p.50. ISBN 1-4116-9007-9.
2. Munro, Doug (2002). Jazz Guitar: Bebop
and Beyond, p.39. ISBN 978-0-7579-8281-1.
3. Miller, Scott (2002). Mel Bay Getting Into
Jazz Fusion Guitar, p.44. ISBN 0-7866-
6248-4.
4. Benward & Saker (2009). Music in Theory
and Practice: Volume II, p.185. Eighth
Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-310188-0.

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Lydian_chord&oldid=845755262"

Last edited 10 months ago by Acf6

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.