D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 7-string tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 7-string — Notes and Intervals
The D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic scale is a streamlined five-note scale built directly around the structure of a dominant seventh chord. On Guitar, its notes are D#, G, A, A#, C#. It is a highly efficient tool for jazz and bebop players who need to navigate rapid harmonic changes with rhythmic precision and clarity. Commonly used in Jazz, Bebop, Fusion. Notable players include Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino. Use over 7#11, 9#11 chords. Efficient for fast bebop lines over non-resolving dominant chords.
Notes: D#, G, A, A#, C#
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 4A, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 #3 4 b5
Formula: 4-W-H-WH-W
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: 7-string (B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 7-string Tuning
The 7-string guitar adds a low B string below the standard 6-string tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E), extending the instrument's range into bass territory. This extra low end has become essential in progressive metal, djent, and modern heavy music, enabling crushing low-end riffs while maintaining access to standard guitar voicings on the upper strings.
Pioneered by jazz guitarist George Van Eps and later brought into the metal mainstream by Steve Vai and Korn, the 7-string guitar has become a staple of modern heavy music. Players like Tosin Abasi, Misha Mansoor, and John Petrucci have pushed the instrument's capabilities into new territory, using the extended range for complex harmonic progressions, polyrhythmic riffs, and sweeping arpeggios that span an enormous tonal range.
Notable artists: Dream Theater, Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Korn, Meshuggah
Best for: Progressive metal riffs, extended-range chord voicings, djent rhythms, and jazz fusion harmony
Musical Character
Built around the dominant 7th chord structure with a #4, allowing rapid navigation of altered dominant harmony in a pentatonic framework.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop D
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in DADGAD
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open G
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 8-string
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop C
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop B
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open D