Lydian mode over major chords

The Lydian mode is the 4th mode of the major scale. That’s something some teachers spend too much time on. What’s more important and useful is knowing the formula of the mode.

It’s identical to the major scale, except for one note. That is the 4th note. Lydian has a #4, which gives it that cool sound.

Summary: all you need to do in order to play Lydian is to raise the 4th note one-half step. For example, in the key of A, the major scale’s 4th note is D. Raise it to D# and voila, you’ve created the Lydian mode.

Lydian over major chords