D# Lydian Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Lydian Pentatonic in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The D# Lydian Pentatonic scale is a mystical five-note scale that highlights the unique Lydian character. On Guitar, it contains the notes D#, G, A, A#, D. It creates a floating, celestial atmosphere and is often used in modern jazz and ambient music to provide a sense of brightness and space without the density of a full scale. Commonly used in Fusion, Ambient, Film Scores, New Age. Notable players include Allan Holdsworth, Joe Satriani, Chick Corea. Use over Maj7#11, Maj9 chords. Perfect for dreamy, non-resolving passages in fusion and ambient music.
Notes: D#, G, A, A#, D
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 4A, 5P, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 #3 4 5
Formula: 4-W-H-4-H
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
Also known as: chinese
About Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.
Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.
Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings
Musical Character
Highlights the #4 tritone in just 5 notes, creating maximum 'floating' sensation with minimum complexity. A shortcut to cinematic sounds.
Chord Progressions Using This Scale
- I – II – IV – I (Lydian II)Pop / Rock — Euphoric
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Drop D
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in DADGAD
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Open G
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in 7-string
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in 8-string
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Drop C
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Drop B
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Open D
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Half Step Down
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Open E
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Open A
- D# Lydian Pentatonic in Open C