The Lydian Mode | How It's Used In Songs

The Lydian mode gives music a dreamy, ethereal. Artists Jane's Addiction, Fleetwood Mac, R.E.M. and others have used these patterns to create some especially spacey cool stuff.

In this video, I explain how these scales form chords and progressions -- and we look at some examples in popular music -- so you have special insight to create your own music in the Lydian mode. It's all based on a few simple patterns.

If you'd like to see more videos like this, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. And if you know someone who needs to see this, be sure to SHARE it with them. I want to know what you think, so please COMMENT.

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[CarinaPrimaBallerina]

The Lydian followed me as something magical since childhood and always left me in awe when I heard it anywhere! One of the most beautiful songs utilizing the Lydian is definitely Shades by Iggy Pop with the industrial bells in the intro and the dreamy synth in the 20 seconds outro!

[MuzixMaker]

Love how you get right to the point. Graphics are very good.

[manuelmparis]

I'm glad I found your channel. Is pure gold! Thanks Mike!

[lit]

This is brilliant content, I was struggling with modes and music theory in general until I found your channel! :D Thank you so much for making these videos!

[JW_Farrelly]

Wow, great explanations and examples in popular songs helps.

[igallery]

Interesting video, some cool information presented in a unique format.
Just some food for thought for anyone that may be interested, the raised forth of C Lydian is the F# and it's the raised 4th which gives Lydian its "colour" so aiming for chords that have that raised 4th in would give you a great starting point for a modal piece which is why it's a good idea to use chords voiced in 7ths and other extensions that fit so long as they are not harmonic avoidance notes so you'll end up with a palette of 7ths, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths alongside your sus chords which can all be used to achieve a Lydian sound so long as those extensions have that raised 4th in there.

With regards to the Major I to Major II movement, it definitely has that disconnected vibe and is referenced often especially in classic movie scores because a Major chord moving to another Major chord by way of a major 2nd (two semitones) will always generate that cool vibe that forms part of the Lydian sound alongside constantly referencing that raised 4th in your harmony.

[jdframpton]

Great video. Love this more but now I love it more! Thanks for the info.

[fi]

What a brilliant explanation! Thank you!

[RogerCreasy]

Thanks for the great video. Very educational. I'm a little late to the discussion...but,
How is the #iv° used? I didn't see it in any of the examples - even "Landslide". It seems like it would want to resolve to the iii.

[Derducci]

Very very helpfull thanx so much, great work as usual

[gkrishnamurthy]

@mike absolutely loving all your videos on modes. I don’t see myxolydian, aeolian and locrian. Is it there and i am not seeing? If there is not would be GREAT to get those

[bribes_for_nouns]

good video.

but for Fleetwood Mac Landslide it sounds more like Ionian to me. just feels like some variation of a I IV V in Bb Maj. so wouldn't we want to avoid that movement if we want to give it an Eb lydian vibe?

[TrondEggan]

For me I always felt these songs had the root in what you say is the 5th. Like Man on the moon I always thought of as a song in g major.

[jitterjive]

Thanks for the nice presentation, Mike. I have a question. You said that "Jane Says" in in the key of G, but wouldn't it be written out in the key of D in sheet music as to eliminated the need for writing accidentals for the C# and F#?

[g-ray]

Now do the eight Oneirotonic modes. (:

[ognir]

Thanks Mike,
Sadly, this theory stuff is flying straight over my head.
Do you have any courses that take this down to a much more nuts and bolts level?
Or maybe know of another teacher or Content provider that explains this stuff a little clearer?

Thanks for providing this instruction anyway.

[mattwoodman]

Great video!! MAN ON THE MOON- Since the Diminished 4 isnt used in the progression, wouldnt that make it a C Ionion???

[MichaelBLive]

Respectfully, I see Landslide entirely differently. To me the tertian concept doesn't help at all for this song except maybe a way to think about a piano arrangement of any song played on piano but not this one in particular. It's 3 groups of chords. The 3 groups are a whole step modulation. It's so natural on guitar and actually sounds like the song when you listen to it. Vamp on 2 chords a 5th apart for a very strong connection. Slide up a 5th for a mood lift and play 2 chords a strong 5th apart. Then one more lift. Clearly written and performed on guitar. Stevie is amazing!

[axieinfinityarenamode]

Beginner question.
If the chord pattern for example is in G family chords, G-em-C-D,
How can i use the Lydian scale?

[jean-kevinlechat]

La gamme de sol majeur contient les mêmes notes que do lydien et donc la même harmonisation. Quel est donc la vraie différence ? Seulement les cadences utilisées ?