D Lydian Dominant

mode

At a Glance

Formula:: D lydian-dominant
Notes:: D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C

Piano

Fretboard

What It Is

The 4th mode of melodic minor (ascending/jazz form) - Lydian with a flatted 7th, combining a raised 4th with a dominant-quality seventh chord. Notes: D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C.

How It Functions

Matches the notes of a dominant 7#11 chord; used over dominant chords that resolve in ways other than a plain V-I, especially tritone substitutions.

Mood & Character

Bright but unresolved - a floating, jazzy dominant color, less tense than a plain altered dominant scale.

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