D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in 8-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: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 8-string Tuning
The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.
With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.
Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments
Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead
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 7-string
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop C
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Drop B
- D# Lydian Dominant Pentatonic in Open D