S E S S I O N S

Lydian-Dominant Strategies
B Y G A R R I S O N F E W E L L

Ex. 1a F7 Ex. 1b #
F7 11 HERE’S A SHARP WAY TO BRIGHTEN
ö ww ö ö b ö ö nwww
b 44 ö ö ö ö ö ö b ö
3 3 your lines when improvising over dominant-
(n)ö
3 1
w ö
1

ö
3 3 3

=======================
& 2 4 1
bw ö bw
1
4
2
2 4 1 1
4
2
7th chords: Raise the fourth degree of the
Mixolydian mode (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7) by one
half-step, and you’ll get a scale known as Lyd-
ian b7 (1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, b7). Sometimes called
3 4 6 6 3 4 6 6 the Lydian dominant, this scale will give your
T 2 3 5 5 2 4 5 4
A 3 5 7 3 5 7 lines a hipper sound without wrenching you
B 6 6
out of the basic dominant-7th tonality.

F13
1
F9 11 # F13
Spiky 7ths. For exam-
ple, Ex. 1a is an F Mixolyd-
² ³³³³
Ex. 2
n ööö ö # ö ö n ö ö b ö
3
ian lick. By simply raising
ö
1
ö
2 1 1

ö
3
b ö b ä öö ..
4 1
4 ä ö ö ö ö ö ( ö) ö nö ö
2 2 3 1
4 Bb to Bn, you’ll transform

& b 4 b öj ö n ö
1 1 1
3 4 3 3 4

============================= bö ö n ö bö .
4
1 4 1 3 this into an F Lydian-b7
ö b ö ú
1 3 2
1 1 line (EE x . 1 b ). Try each
3 phrase over an F7 vamp to
G G G G G
appreciate the difference
7 8 9 10
T
8 10 (8) 12 3 one note can make.
A
7 10 8 7 7 (8) 12 8 7 2
B
9 10 9 (7) 9 1 The melodic-minor
6 10 10 6 5
7 3 2 1 connection. A quick way
to generate Lydian b7
F7
ö ö ö nö ö
Ex. 3 sounds is to play a melodic-minor scale (1, 2,
ö ö nú
4
ö
2 1
3 3
b3, 4, 5, 6, 7) starting on the dominant-7th
4 ö ö
4

J
2

b
1
ö b ö n ö ö ö ö î
1 1 1 2 2

& 4 ö
4
chord’s fifth degree. This creates cool ten-
=======================
4
( )
sions—9, #11, and 13—against the chord. For
example, play C melodic minor (C, D, Eb, F,
G, A, B) over F7.
8 10 6 7 Chord-over-chord. See how the C melod-
T
8 10 12
A
7 7 12 ic- minor scale contains a G major triad (G,
B
10 8 9 9 10 10 12
10 B, D)? Spinning G arpeggios over F dominant
chords, as in Ex. 2, is a quick-and-dirty way

ö n ö ö bö n ö ö bö ö
Ex. 4 F7 to conjure the Lydian-b7 sound. Play this line
1

ö ö ö ö nö ö
4 1 2
1 slowly at first, then turn it into a double-time,
4
2 3 2

&b4 î
3 1

ö bö ú
4
sixteenth-note funk groove.
====================== 2 1

10 7 7 6 5
T
8 7 6 8 6
A
7 5 4 7
B
5 4 3

F7
Ex. 5
n ö ö ö bö ö ö ö ö bö b ö n ö bö 2

ö b ö
3

ö
2 1 1

b ö
1
4 n ö ö b ö ö ö ä öj nö ö ö
4 2 1 4 3

&b4 î
1 1 3 2 1 3 1

n( )ö b ö ö
1 1 3

=============================
4
1
4 1

7 8 7 6 5 11
T
8 6 5 4 8 9 10
A
4 7 6 5 7 8 11 10
B
5 9 10
8 5 6 10
 S

E
You can expand this chord-over-chord idea by stretching
the G triad into a G7 (G, B, D, F ). Featuring G and G7 arpeggios,
Examples 3 and 4 are typical blues licks. First, check out how
they sound over a G7 chord, then give your ears a twist by playing
the same lines over F7.
Finally, jazz up your Lydian b7 lines even more by adding
S
choice chromatics (E Ex. 5).
Lydian-b7 strategies. To summarize, here are three ways to
create a raised-4 (or #11) sound against a dominant-7th chord:
• Play a Lydian b7 scale from the target chord’s root.
• Work through a melodic-minor scale starting from the
chord’s fifth.
• Arpeggiate a major triad (or dominant 7) whose root is a
whole-step above the target chord.
S
Get familiar with each strategy, and remember to look at the
bright side of dominant harmony. g

Garrison Fewell juggles touring and teaching at Berklee Col-

lege of Music. Hear his introspective lines and round, dusky tone
on A Blue Deeper Than Blue, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and
Reflection of a Clear Moon (all on Accurate, Box 390115, Cam-
bridge, MA 02139).
I