GUITAR LESSON - E LYDIAN SOLO The solo begins with a slow melodic intro and slowly builds to a faster climax. The first 4 bars establish the melody and musical direction. The next 4 bars expand upon the established melody and give the sense that the song is building. The last 4 bars feature a couple of frantic 16th note runs. Now that's a Lydian solo!

The chord progression is basically I-II (In this case E, then F# with an E bass note, or F#/E). The parent scale of E Lydian is of course B major (or B Ionian). If you have trouble thinking of it that way, use the G# minor scale or start with the G# minor pentatonic scale, as the basic framework of E Lydian is contained therein (you just have to add two more notes; D# and A).

Download the Power Tab file.

                                  E LYDIAN SOLO

Written by David Andrew Wiebe
Level: Intermediate

Gtr I (E A D G B E)
Gtr II (E A D G B E)

  Q=122
 4/4
  Gtr I
  ~~            ~~               ~            ~~
  H.      Q     H     H      E E H    E  E    W
|------------|-------------|-----7----9s11-|--9---------|
|---------7--|-------------|-5-7-----------|------------|
|-4----------|--6-----3----|---------------|------------|
|------------|-------------|---------------|------------|
|------------|-------------|---------------|------------|
|------------|-------------|---------------|------------|
|
| Gtr II
| W             H     H      W                H     H
|------------|-------------|-7-------------|--9---------|
|-9----------|-11----------|-9-------------|-11----11---|
|-9----------|-11----11----|-9-------------|-11---------|
|-9----------|-11----------|---------------|------------|
|------------|-------------|---------------|------------|
|-0----------|--0----------|-0-------------|--0---------|


   E   E  E  E  E  E  Q      +H.       E  E
|-12--11-12-11------------|-----------------|
|--------------12----14---|-(14)------12-14-|
|-----------------11------|-----------------|
|-------------------------|-----------------|
|-------------------------|-----------------|
|-------------------------|-----------------|
|
|  H.                 E E     W
|-------------------------|-----------------|
|--9------------------9---|--11-------------|
|--9--------------------9-|--11-------------|
|--9----------------------|--11-------------|
|-------------------------|-----------------|
|--0----------------------|---0-------------|


                                       ~
   E  E  Q    E   E E  E    Q S S E q  Q
|-11---------12--11-9----|-------------7--|
|----12---------------12-|--------4-5-----|
|------------------------|----4-6---------|
|-------14---------------|----------------|
|------------------------|----------------|
|------------------------|----------------|
|
|  E  E  E E +H             W
|----------7-(7)---------|--9-------------|
|--------7---------------|-11-------------|
|-----9------------------|-11-------------|
|------------------------|----------------|
|------------------------|----------------|
|--0---------------------|--0-------------|


                                        ~~
  S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S   E E H.
|---------7-6-4---9-7-6---7-6-----|-------------|
|-5-4-----------7-------7-----9-7-|-4-5-7-------|
|-----6-4-------------------------|-------------|
|---------------------------------|-------------|
|---------------------------------|-------------|
|---------------------------------|-------------|
|
| W                                 W
|---------------------------------|-------------|
|-0-------------------------------|-2-----------|
|-1-------------------------------|-3-----------|
|-2-------------------------------|-4-----------|
|---------------------------------|-------------|
|-0-------------------------------|-0-----------|


  S S S S  S  S S  S  S  S  S  S  E  E
|-9-7-6---12-11-9----14-12-11----12----|
|-------9---------12----------14-------|
|-----------------------------------13-|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|
| W
|-4------------------------------------|
|-5------------------------------------|
|-4------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|-0------------------------------------|


         ~~~
   E  E  H.
|-14s16-14-----*|
|--------------*|
|--------------*|
|--------------*|
|--------------*|
|--------------*|
|
|  W
|--6-----------*|
|--7-----------*|
|--6-----------*|
|--------------*|
|--------------*|
|--0-----------*|

In case you were wondering, this lesson has been revised. I used to have a simpler eighth note Lydian solo, but I didn't feel like I was really doing the scale any justice so I came up with what you see above. I did, however, keep the old solo here in case anyone comes looking for it (it's actually more like a finger exercise). It doesn't sound half bad over the new chords I've provided, and if you listen to the Power Tab file you'll notice that it definitely adds something, but I don't think it compares to the new solo.

Download the Power Tab file.

                               E LYDIAN SOLO (OLD)

Written by David Andrew Wiebe
Level: Intermediate

Gtr I (E A D G B E)
Gtr II (E A D G B E)

  Q=160
 4/4
  Gtr I
  E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   E  E E E  E E E  E
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|
|---6-9-8-----9-8-|-6---9-8-6-------|-----------------|-------------9-8-----|
|-9-------6-9-----|---9-------8-----|---6-9-----8-9---|---11-8-9-11-----11--|
|-----------------|-------------9-9-|-7-----7-6-----7-|-9-------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|
|
| Gtr II
| W                 W                 W                 W
|-4---------------|-----------------|-4---------------|---------------------|
|-5---------------|-2---------------|-5---------------|-7-------------------|
|-4---------------|-3---------------|-4---------------|-8-------------------|
|-----------------|-4---------------|-----------------|-8-------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-6-------------------|
|-0---------------|-2---------------|-0---------------|---------------------|


                                                         ~~~
   E  E E  E  E  E E  E    E  E  E  E  E  E E  E    E E  H.
|-------9----11---------|----14-12-11-12---------|------12-----*|
|----12---12----12-9----|-12-------------12-9----|-11-9--------*|
|-11-----------------11-|---------------------11-|-------------*|
|-----------------------|------------------------|-------------*|
|-----------------------|------------------------|-------------*|
|-----------------------|------------------------|-------------*|
|
|  W                       W                        W
|--4--------------------|------------------------|--4----------*|
|--5--------------------|--2---------------------|--5----------*|
|--4--------------------|--3---------------------|--4----------*|
|-----------------------|--4---------------------|-------------*|
|-----------------------|------------------------|-------------*|
|--0--------------------|--2---------------------|--0----------*|

This article was written by David Andrew Wiebe, web designer, graphic designer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitar instructor, and music expert. Interested in winning a free CD? Click here for more info! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Recommendations? Email me.

Revised and Republished on December 12, 2007
Published on November 20, 2007