E Lydian Mode on the Guitar – 5 CAGED Positions, Tabs and Theory

‘E lydian’ is the 4th mode of the B Major scale. The notes in E Lydian are:

E – F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D#

If you have read the post on understanding the lydian mode, you will know that the lydian mode contains a ‘sharp 4’ (parallel approach). You will also know that it is the 4th mode of the major scale (derivative approach). Because the ‘sharp 4’ is the only difference between the lydian mode and the major scale, it is a very simple mode to analyze. Let’s briefly look at how to construct E lydian using both the parallel approach and the derivative approach.

E Lydian Mode Using The Parallel Approach

The E Major scale contains the following notes:

E – F# – G# – A – B – C# – D#

If we ‘raise’ the 4th note, we get the following:

E – F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D#

E Lydian Mode Using The Derivative Approach

E is the 4th note of the B Major scale:

B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A#

If we play the B Major scale and start on the 4th note we get the following:

E – F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D#

Let’s look at the E lydian mode in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

E Lydian in the Open Position

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

E Lydian Mode Open Position Frets
E Lydian Mode Open Position Notes

E Lydian Mode CAGED Positions

Now let’s look at E lydian in the 5 different CAGED positions along the fretboard.

E Lydian in the 3rd Position (Lowest Fret is 3)

E Lydian Mode 3rd Position Frets
E Lydian Mode 3rd Position Notes

E Lydian in the 6th Position (Lowest Fret is 6)

E Lydian Mode 6th Position Frets
E Lydian Mode 6th Position Notes

E Lydian in the 7th Position (Lowest Fret is 7)

E Lydian Mode 7th Position Frets
E Lydian Mode 7th Position Notes

E Lydian in the 11th Position (Lowest Fret is 11)

E Lydian Mode 11th Position Frets
E Lydian Mode 11th Position Notes

E Lydian in the 12th Position (Lowest Fret is 12)

E Lydian Mode 12th Position Frets
E Lydian Mode 12th Position Notes

Further Reading

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