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    YoutubeMusic Theory Video SeriesA step-by-step guide to music theory fundamentals. These 60-second videos provide a clear, structured path to understanding how music works, optimized for a full-screen learning experience.YoutubeMusic Theory ShortsMaster music theory concepts in 60 seconds or less. Quick, vertical videos designed to give you essential theory knowledge in a fast-paced, mobile-friendly format.
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    1. Home
    2. Scale Library
    3. G sharp
    4. Lydian Augmented

    G sharp Lydian Augmented

    Bright major mode with ♯4 and ♯5, the 3rd mode of melodic minor.


    Guitar diagrams

    Piano diagrams

    Which intervals and notes are in the G sharp Lydian Augmented scale?

    Intervals from the tonic that build this scale step by step.

    Which chords can you play on the G sharp Lydian Augmented scale?

    Diatonic chords on each degree of this scale.

    To which mode does G sharp Lydian Augmented belong?

    Related modes that use the same notes with a different tonal center.

    Related scales for G sharp Lydian Augmented

    Explore scales that share many of the same notes and compare how their tonal center changes the sound.

    Practice the lydian augmented scale

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    Sheet music

    Practice the lydian augmented scale

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    Learn music theory with sonid

    Available on Android and iOS

    DegreeTriadSeventhExtendedScale
    I
    G♯
    m
    G♯
    m/ma7
    G♯
    mM9
    G sharp Melodic minor
    II
    G♯
    m7
    G sharp Dorian ♭2
    III
    G♯
    maj7♯5
    G sharp Lydian Augmented
    IV
    G♯
    M
    G♯
    7
    G sharp Lydian Dominant
    V
    G♯
    M
    VI
    VII

    Lydian Augmented is a bright, floating major-type mode with extra tension from its raised fifth. It keeps the open color of Lydian through the ♯4 while adding a wider, more unstable upper shape via ♯5. That combination gives it a modern, cinematic sound often used for expansive harmony.

    Construction and formula

    Lydian Augmented follows 1-2-3-♯4-♯5-6-7, with step pattern W-W-W-W-H-W-H. In C Lydian Augmented, the notes are C-D-E-F♯-G♯-A-B. In modal terms, it is the 3rd mode of melodic minor (for example from A melodic minor).

    Compared with Lydian (1-2-3-♯4-5-6-7), only one degree changes: 5 becomes ♯5. That single alteration increases lift and tension without losing the clear Lydian identity.

    Musical usage

    Lydian Augmented works well over major colors that need more motion than plain Ionian or Lydian. It appears in jazz, fusion, and film scoring where composers want brightness with controlled instability.

    Melodically, the interval movement between ♯4 and ♯5 highlights its unique color quickly. Harmonically, sustained major sonorities and upper-structure voicings make the mode especially clear.

    Examples

    • Modern jazz major lines using Lydian-based tension.
    • Film harmony that needs luminous but unsettled color.
    • Fusion solos over static major vamps with altered upper tones.
    • Comparison studies between Lydian and Lydian Augmented.

    In practice

    Practice Lydian and Lydian Augmented on the same root, focusing first on 5 versus ♯5 while keeping ♯4 constant. Then build short motifs that resolve to stable chord tones but repeatedly emphasize ♯5 for signature color.

    For improvisation, connect it to melodic minor modal families rather than isolated fingering shapes. For writing, use it when you want major brightness with extra expansion and edge.

    G♯
    7♭13
    G sharp Mixolydian flat sixth
    G♯
    m7♭5
    G sharp Locrian ♯2
    G♯
    dim
    G♯
    m7♭5
    G♯
    7♯9♭13
    G sharp Altered
    NameAliasesDifficulty
    G sharp Lydian sharp fifth pentatonic-Guru
    IntervalsemitonesNote
    Perfect unison0G♯
    Major second2A♯
    Major third4B♯
    Augmented fourth6C𝄪
    Augmented fifth8D𝄪
    Major sixth9E♯
    Major seventh11F𝄪
    NameAliasesDifficulty
    G sharp Augmentedaug, +, +5, ^#5Beginner
    G sharp Major ninth flat fifthM9b5Easy
    G sharp Major seventh flat fifthM7b5Intermediate
    G sharp Major ninth sharp fifthmaj9#5, Maj9#5Intermediate
    G sharp Major seventh flat sixthM7b6, ^7b6Intermediate
    maj7#5, maj7+5, +maj7, ^7#5Expert
    Mb5Guru
    M#5add9, +add9Guru
    G sharp Major seventh sharp fifth
    G sharp Major flat fifth
    G sharp Major sharp fifth add ninth