Modern Jazz - Lydian Chromatic Concept

[@algoodwin6656]

WOW, after 45 year's you just explained it the best, bar none. I'm a 63 year old musician. I've just always forced myself to play an F# inside the C major scale. However, thinking in G major for a moment makes my line's flow smoother. You are by far one of the best teacher's that I've ever come across. This is meant as a compliment just in case I do a typeo, lol. I've been playing professionally for over 45 year's. You're never to old to learn. You've got the best music theory channel but far. Be blessed.

[@WalkThatBass]

Thanks, Al. Very kind of you to say and glad to hear it :) Mate, I hope I'm still learning when I'm 63. It's what makes life exciting.

[@peterschlosser7605]

That's funny. There IS a typo :-)

[@isomeme]

​@@WalkThatBass, I'm 61 and plan on continuing to learn until I reach room temperature. 🙃 Thanks for being a great teacher!

[@TremorBot]

The most consonant interval is a unison. Piano players forget this because it isn't possible for them to play it.

[@bipbong2906]

Isn't unison a lack of an interval?

[@wearethewearethewearethhe]

@@bipbong2906 yeah that’s right I’m pretty sure. You can’t do that on piano because each key is a different pitch. But with something like guitar for example you can play two or more strings together at the same pitch.

[@ludvigbroman]

Technically many of the keys on a grand piano hits multiple strings, thereby playing as much as three of the same notes

[@danipombo]

Unison isn't an interval

[@AMurderOfLobs]

@@bipbong2906 That's like saying zero isn't a number

[@milkwater1204]

I found out about this by messing around on the guitar, playing alternating major and minor thirds. I thought the selection of notes, when made into a repeating scale, were a lot more harmonically pleasant than the regular major scale. I'm not too into modes so it took me writing out the scale on sheet music for me to realise it was just a lydian scale. I'm glad this concept has already been explored thoroughly.

[@isomeme]

It's very cool that you discovered it independently! I got to it via a different path -- being annoyed at the asymmetry when describing modes relative to the default Ionian (major) mode that you have to sharp the 4th to get to Lydian, while all the other modes involve adding flats. If Lydian were the natural scale, the other modes would all be flats added from there. I was delighted when I discovered that George Russell had found even better reasons to center music theory on Lydian a few years before I was born. 🙂

[@NathanAMeyers]

I've organically thought this same thing over the past few years. Glad to know all inventions were already invented b4. Thx for introducing me to modal jazz

[@alansmith9635]

It's a pity that you couldn't have covered the concept in more depth. As I said below in a reply it's a lot more than simple chord scale relationships. What Russell discovered was a continuum between 'inside' and 'outside' playing where you could decide just how much dissonance to apply to any given musical environment. It opened the way to intervallic rather than scalar playing; using the chromatic scale in ways that were not only confined to half step resolutions to chord tones. You could say it had a lot to answer for in terms of jazz that became too 'out' for the sake of it. that's a matter of taste not the concept itself. Yet it also gave a classical composer like Takemitsu cause to say that it was the most important book on music he had encountered and gave him his harmonic language.

[@Koropokel]

Listening to Takemistu while reading this was really a surprise hahaha

[@joelrivardguitar]

The F note clashes with the Cmaj7 chord not because of the minor second interval between the E and F notes but because the F note combined with the B creates the tritone found in the G7 chord (F, B) so it's like putting the G7 chord inside the Cmaj7 which is a little weird as the 2 chords follow each other in a sequence really nicely but are not to be combined. Of course jazz solos feature F notes in the lines over a Cmaj7 chord ALL the time. That "avoid note" rule is more for not adding an F to the Cmaj7 chord in comping. The main swing/jazz line over maj7 chords uses an F in passing (C, Eb, E, F, F#, G, F, D, Eb, E) so don't get caught up in avoiding F. Just learn solos from your favorite players. Interestingly if you call the lydian notes 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 the the last mode locrian becomes 1,b2,b3.b4.b5.b6.b7. Much nicer symmetry than having one mode (lydian) with a #4 and others with flats. So Ionian would be 1,2,3,b4,5,6,7, then mixo would have 2 flats and so on. So the bottom line is Lydian (the real parent scale) is the most stable scale but the 2nd mode Ionian is best for tension and release or chord progressions that have movement.

[@taylorbelanger7982]

I get where your coming from, but this is jazz. Its often better to use your ear to what sounds good. If you want an F pedal pretty much through two different chords then why not

[@theprophylacticprotectagai2069]

music is maths for non mathematicians more like alchemists, anyways whilst i find you noting of a Lydian numbering system more aethetic perhaps This CRAP about avoiding the 4th is PURE OUTRAGEOUS GARBAGE that stifled me and many millions for years, the typical 3rd slur is say (1)4,(1)b3, 3 The NATURAL 4th is AS INTEGRAL for a Great Soloist as ANY CHORD TONE Its like Joe Pass famously stating You cant use the b9 becuase it jars with the Root then a few seconds later dissoving into his musical brilliance with a fluid example flush with b9s ...wtf rofl IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE a Genius at times tell the Truth see George Bensons Art of Guitar where he effortlessly shows in REAL TIME with true Musical Lyricism how one can START and/or(perhaps a little less so) END a LICK WITH ANY NOTE and Sound Equally Awesome, ie including the Natural 4th or b9 b6 etc

[@gannonb4u]

To my understanding the reason why C Lydian scale is used to play over a Cmaj chord is because the first tetra chord in the Cmajor scale C,D,E,F (interval of a fourth C to F) leads to the tonic F and away from C (Interval tonics). The 2nd tetra chord of Cmaj G,A,B, C leads to the tonic C so in order to sound the Cmaj chord in a scale one would play C,D,E,F#,G,A,B,C The interval of a Fifth in the 1st tetra chord C to G has C a the tonic sound (again interval tonics). The C Lydian scale best conveys the sound of a C maj chord because both tetra chords have as it's tonic the note C

[@bebopreview3187]

I think a classical musician would disagree with you. The major 7th is classed as a dissonance. You are creating an interval between two tensions. I'm not sure if that explaination is ok in jazz; they would say things like playing one chord on top of another; not inside it. Much better to play it safe and call the interval a minor 9th above the third.

[@fredjacksonjr.4422]

It all depends on the mood you’re trying to establish. Passing tones and leading tones are always valid. Just like you can play B natural in a C7. It’s the same thing. Joe Henderson played off the Lydian a lot (Lydian augmented as well. Even his compositions were set off of some kind of Lydian Concepts . I’ve studied all of this. If you add some chromaticism it’s all the same. Tension and release is the goal. Miles Davis turned this concept into Kinda Blue. So what you dig. So your right but it’s a matter of perspective.

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

A couple days trying to understand this but this video really hit the spot.

[@TristanChambers]

Mind blown. Thank you. I read the wikipedia article but hearing it on the piano makes it so much more intuitive.

[@kimikmusic]

these are the best videos hands down on the internet, keep em coming, superthanks for all this, I wish you'd done these 15 years ago...

[@WalkThatBass]

Too kind, Kim. Thank you. Apologies for the belated videos :)

[@pfylim]

This is the Lydian scale which is the scale of the white keys starting from F. G-Major in this case is the enharmonic of C Lydian but should not be confused with it. The best way to play it in key is just to sharpen the 4th of the major scale you are in. But to be honest, I like the scale that keeps that charismatic tritone as it adds great flavour to chords and can be diluted by adding more consonant overtones

[@justinjager8412]

I believe the reason the octave is the most perfect interval because the octave had exactly half of the wavelength of the tonic. The fifth, has exactly 1/4 of the wavelength, The second octave had 1/8 of the tonic note. This trend continues and the octave had the simplest fraction

[@gannonb4u]

To my understanding the reason why C Lydian scale is used to play over a Cmaj chord is because the first tetra chord in the Cmajor scale C,D,E,F (interval of a fourth C to F) leads to the tonic F and away from C (Interval tonics). The 2nd tetra chord of Cmaj G,A,B, C leads to the tonic C so in order to sound the Cmaj chord in a scale one would play C,D,E,F#,G,A,B,C The interval of a Fifth in the 1st tetra chord C to G has C a the tonic sound (again interval tonics). The C Lydian scale best conveys the sound of a C maj chord because both tetra chords have as it's tonic the note C

[@LemoUtan]

Of all of the seven modes, the Dorian seems the most distinguished as it is the only one which - if you start from the root note - is its own inversion. Easiest to see in D-Dorian on a piano by starting on a D then simultaneously ascend a whole tone left and right (up to E, down to C) then a semitone either side (up to F, down to B) then a tone again (up to G, down to A), thus covering all - and only - the seven white notes. (Which is to say that a piano is symmetric about 'middle D'). The Lydian mode is kinda 'special' in its own way in that its first three steps (all whole tones) account - symmetrically - for half the octave (six semitones) and its final four steps (half whole whole half) symmetrically cover the remaining half of the octave. Like the Dorian is symmetric around its tonic, the Lydian is symmetric around its submediant and - by the way - is an exact reflection of the Locrian, the least 'popular' mode (which goes half whole whole half - again to exactly halfway around an octave - then whole whole whole). Maybe George is right. We've had the wrong mode acting like the 'king' all this time. NB - if the Lydian were the default major, then its corresponding minor, starting a minor third below, would have been our symmetric self-inverse Dorian. Usurp! Usurp!

[@masterchain3335]

The thing is people don't hear in inversion. The fact that Dorian is its own inversion is brought up often but it's just a curiosity and has no real relevance acoustically. No one hears a Dorian scale, even played in sequence, and thinks to themselves "mmm, that was pleasing as fuck, because it was clearly an inversion of itself."

[@abpromusic6737]

Thank you. Russell is right 100%

[@zAtt1337]

lol now i know why penatatonic sounds so good when it comes to chords - its because of the harmonic series

[@boblupton583]

I am not even at the level of a jazz hack :) I grew up in the 60/70's jazz thing (i am a rock, Norwegian Jazz , hack...and pop guy. I have been studying (for my own personal "I like 70's ECM jazz) I have bought books on modal (I am a "guitar player" to use the word loosly)... also a pop guy. I am writing this because you explains the concept -- and I get it. I think your teaching skills are a real talent. I've loved learned about jazz theory (not do not ask me to play a jazz solo!) :) Does it matter? it is still fun to learn. That is why I subscribed. I love experiment on my guitar with the concepts you have taught. Thank you for doing this.

[@joaopedroalves9879]

Priceless video!

[@bebopreview3187]

Russell was constantly working on the concept and if you have the 2001 edition it's called volume 1 because it was suppose to be part of a series. The main point of Russell's concept is that the Lydian Scale is the most fundermental 'Scale' in music. Did you see what I just said 'Lydian Scale'. Russell did not see this scale as a mode but something independent. To Russell the major scale is a Horizontal scale but the lydian scale is vertical. The two are not correlative so you can't call the lydian scale a mode of the Major scale. I can't find any reference to Lydian mode at all in the concept. So when Ryan Henderson below just dismissers the C lydian scale as a mode of the G major scale - he's wrong - very wrong.

[@marcoborge2128]

Thanks so much for your contribution! MUSIC!

[@LohPro]

The 4 creates a tritone with the 7, which if you start at the tonic of a Major chord & build a tertian sequence of notes (ie; C-E-G-B-D-F) until the 11th is reached, you actually have the V7 chord right along with the tonic I chord. This muddies the "function" of the tonic chord. Within a given parent Major scale, each "sub scale" or mode, will have as their "characteristic" note, either one of the two notes which form the tritone of the parent Major scale (ie; one of the two notes missing from the Major pentatonic). Over Ionian, this note happens to be the 4. It's 4 & not 7 because Ionian & Lydian are the only two REAL Major modes, one has a 4 (Ionian) & the other (Lydian) has a #4. Resolution of these notes are what "defines" each mode, so Ionian may be defined as having the 4 note present, as it resolves to the 3 of the tonic Major chord (dm, FMaj or bdim-> CMaj) So modal progressions tend to feature the modal root chord, in this case the [I] of CMaj, then proceed to a chord which contains the [4], so [I-> ii] or [I-> IV]. This is so that the resolution will occur between the notes that create that half-step between 4-> 3 (ie; F-> E) If the tonic Major chord of Ionian (ie; CMaj) contained the avoid note of 4 or 11, the chord would lose its MAIN FUNCTION as an "at-rest, consonant" RESOLVING chord. Modal form progressions would include chords that contain the 4/11, so that the move from 4-> 3 may occur, thus defining IONIAN. I consider the only real avoid notes to be those that clash negatively with the quality-defining 3rd or those that interfere with a chords main function. For example, when implying a certain Major or minor chord, do not use the "other" 3rd (ie; don't use a b3 over a Maj triad). Also, if trying to imply a TYPE of 7th chord, don't use the "other" 7th (ie; don't use a b7 over a Maj7 chord or a M7 over a Dominant 7th chord, etc.) Voicing the 4 in with a Major tonic chord, removes it function & it then becomes a type of quartal sus chord or some voicing of the [IV] chord. Melodically, it's often a much different story; you may pass over these notes, trill back & forth with them, use them in licks or riffs, etc., but when creating chords, they are best to be avoided not because they "sound bad", but because they change the function of the chord. Because Ionian is the tonic of a Major scale, it is important to not have the avoid note included in the chord. That isn't to say that throughout a piece, the avoid note cannot be used in conjunction with the tonic note, such as a Isus4 chord (C-F-G). In this instance, the chord is not functioning as a tonic Major chord, because the 3rd is missing. The C Ionian scale, melodically speaking (for solos & improv, etc.) may be used just fine, often though making sure that the 4 is not held on-to for too long. A parallel Lydian scale over a tonic Major will simply provide somewhat "total consonance", even though the #4 is "outside". This is my best explanation for this topic. Please correct anything that may be or is wrong. All the best :)

[@BhooshanMusifies]

Very nicely explained! Thanks.

[@ecaepevolhturt]

Incredible, mind blown, thank you!

[@WalkThatBass]

Haha. Cheers, mate :)

[@alperdurmus5234]

We can agree on that it might have rather limited use so far, compared to traditional harmony, partly due to the fact that it is comparably new / recent idea. However this does not make the LCC "abstract." In fact, one can choose to analyse a given musical piece using Lydian Chromatic Concept (LCC) as well as using traditional tonal harmony.

[@aburaagekojima4528]

simple and clear.

[@ijohnny.]

Excellent lesson!

[@WalkThatBass]

Thanks, Johnny.

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

das ist schon lange her, als ich das durchgearbeitet habe.

[@thelivekennedyssdcaliforni7841]

undbedingt. ich auch.

[@viplavksmusic]

Your Videos are very helpful Thank You!!!

[@WalkThatBass]

No worries, Viplav.

[@johnharrisjr.351]

Good stuff, decent synopsis of the usable parts. Read that book some years back and got mostly the same.

[@WalkThatBass]

Yeah, it's pretty dense...The Ulysses of music theory.

[@laureanoahmad7495]

Basically before impressionist movement Scales determs chords Tonal system. After impressionist movement Chords determs scales Modal system. Am I right?

[@masterchain3335]

The reason for the tonic-dominant relationship is not because of the harmonic series but because of voice leading. I also reject the idea that "we've had it wrong" and I'd be interested to see if there's an actual source for that or if that was your own editorial interpretation. All of this basically assumes that we're trying to reconcile a maj7 chord specifically, and that might not be the case. The prevalence of the major scale comes from classical music which doesn't really use the maj7 as liberally as jazz does, so it makes sense that this consideration wouldn't be very strong in that musical tradition.

[@QuallityVideos]

He does not say we've had it wrong, he says that according to george russel we've had it wrong. It's only a tool so explain something, not being prescriptivist

[@masterchain3335]

@@QuallityVideos Uhh... I never specified who said "we've had it wrong", and you yourself admit that Russell says precisely that. So what exactly are you disagreeing with here? And I don't think you understand what prescriptivist even means, because if someone's saying we've had it wrong, that is the definition of prescriptivism. What is prescriptive if not telling what is and is not correct, and "wrong" is the opposite of correct.

[@SlayerPowa]

Nice ! Thanks

[@WalkThatBass]

No worries, Gabriel.

[@FawleyJude]

I don't know that much about piano, but if the E and the F clash so you move that up to F#, haven't you created a tritone between C and F#--the "devil's interval" as far as dissonance goes?

[@CMM5300]

Jude F. Yes

[@themidger1]

There’s nothing wrong with a tritone, the problem it removes is that raising the f removes the b-f tritone that belongs to the G7 chord from the same scale. The c and f# belong to the Ab7 which is not dominant to C like G is

[@peterschlosser7605]

@@themidger1 Thanks, my headache wasn't big enough before.

[@timothysavage4958]

"Perfect" intervals are called "perfect" because both notes are found in each other's major (Ionian) scales. For example, G is found in C major, and C is found in G major (Ionian). Thus, the C-G interval is a "perfect" fifth (or fourth, depending upon how you have it stacked). The same is not true of, say, C and E. This is why that ascending interval is a "major" third and not a "perfect" third. Cheers!

[@bebopreview3187]

Why then is a unison and octave perfect?

[@Danderman888]

Hmmm... using the C Lydian scale simply moves the tritone from F-B to C-F#. It doesn't make sense to me!

[@nathanialblower9216]

The question “what scale captures the sound of a Cmaj7 chord?” seems to put chords before scales in a way I think most “classical” thinkers do not. This may cut to the heart of the difference between jazz thinking (since Berkeley probably) and classical thinking. On the classical conception, the question would make scant sense. The only response would have to be that the Cmaj7 chord belongs to any scale that contains those notes, and none of those scales “captures the sound” of the Cmaj7 chord.

[@oneeyemonster3262]

On the guitar fretboard it's more notice able if you play a C Maj7 with the F or 11 ringing against the Open B string...(it's a tritone) You can visually see it and heard it... But if you play the F as the add 4 in first octive...it's not as harsh.. becuase the B and E ( pure tones) are ringing The F (4th ) is ringing against the ROOT...another pure tone. well....It could be the b2 of B Harmonic min b2 ( N6)..if you were in B min..you could simply play the C Maj7 and modulate down to A minor. So you can revere the process ...Play D Maj7 instead of D7 Or simply play the F# min chord to B min....The G Maj would simply be in the Lydian possition.... In a wack out of way cycle to the 5th as lydian.lol. ( not as Ion).... It;s easier to see it on the guitar fret board... This way you could play the I, IV, V From G.....all maj7 chords.... G maj7, C maj7. D Maj7. Lmao or if you play from the C Maj7....D maj7....G maj7 I, II, V.....using all Maj7 chords... or II, V , I all maj7 chords D Maj7 G Maj7....C Maj7 it works...becuase a Maj7 chord is sort of like an inverted minor chord or you'll hear a minor chord ringing above the root. C.....E , G, B D F#, A C# G B, D F# on the guitar I can play an inverted E min...F # min...B min as if I was in B min... or play....G , 3, 6..........A, 3, 6......D, 3, 6 G , B E A C# F# D F# B then it;s just C as the 4th of G.. D 4th of A G 4th of D It sounds soft and pleasing to the ears jazz...( not harsh) Not using dominant chords all de time.... Dominant chords has dim chord ringing above the ROOT. example G.....B, D, F B dim/G That's what you;re hearing when playing the F against B it also gose together with the A melodic minor....verse A Natural minor. The F# is just the second arpeggio to D maj or D7 When you ascend...Play A Min.....D Maj E Maj descend E min D min A min It;s a different sound...one is harder the other is softer... Not wrong...just different. or you can do this Play A LYDIAN ascending.. then play A LOCRIAN descending... it'll sound smoother. The intervals are sort...MIRROR or inverted. when it's going UP it's PUSHING UP towards the octive when decsending it;s pushing DOWN towards the ROOT.

[@Billyleenyan]

I'm so glad to find this, couse i want to understand, but this is the starting point, you can find this all over the internet if you look for the lyccoto. What i want to understand, trying to read the book (but i's a confusing book, i wasn't trained in music and english is not my 1st language.. excuses excuses) is this thing about the vertical and horizontal scales. If i'm playing a Cmaj, Am7 and Em7 for example, that could be both C lydian or C ionian horizontally, but vertically Cmaj7 is lydian. When i play Am7 or Em7, that could mean C or G lydian respectively, right? i guess so (makes sense on sound), but that's still scratching the surface... Where does the Lydian diminished for example comes into play here? Then there is this triangle thing in the book that says north, south, passive. Feel like this verticallities concept is the chromatic gravity that lays behind subdominant and dominant diatonic concepts, but i feel i'll have to read it, it's difficult to pick conclussions for the Lydian chormatic scale/order of tonal gravity. F C G D A E B C# G# D# A# E##. that bugs me (how is the b9 called ##7th??/ Why that order? What does it all mean?) I'm more or less familiar with those scale derivated form each step of the scale, but i just don't know why/when they are there, and what does it mean. Obviously those scales are available in F when included the note of that step (C# allows for a F lydian augmented to happen) But why, when, where? I think i'm just confuse by the horizontal/vertical thing

[@WalkThatBass]

Hi Billie, Apologies for the late reply, I had to go back to the book to refresh my memory. The Lydian Chromatic Concept is very confusing and I’m not sure even George Russell completely understood what he was talking about. Let me see if I can try answer your points. They probably won’t be perfect answers, because the LCCOTO is very convoluted. Horizontal Scale - Is a scale that feels like it is moving towards a scale tonic note (root note). This is because the scale contains a natural 4. If we have the chord CMaj7, the C Major (Ionian) Scale feels like it is moving towards the note C. Here he is talking about standard ‘tonal’ music theory. This creates a ‘horizontal’ tonal gravity because it feels like the scale is moving horizontally in a song towards the note C. Vertical Scale - is a scale that fees like it is not moving towards a tonic note. The scale and the chord are in ‘unity’ and perfectly complement each other without the need to resolve or move anywhere. If we have the chord CMaj7, the C Lydian Scale does NOT have the same tendency to resolve to the note C. All the notes sound good over the chord. Let’s take the F Lydian Scale = F G A B C D E F If you play the V chordmode of F Lydian Scale (C D E F G A B C) over an FMaj13#11/C chord - it will sound ‘vertical’ (related to the F Lydian Scale). The chord and the scale will sound ‘unified’ and there will be no forward motion that feels like it wants to resolve anywhere. All notes sound equal and consonant and there’s no pull to the tonic note. If you play the V chordmode of F Lydian Scale (C D E F G A B C) over a CMaj7 chord - it will sound ‘horizontal’. The scale will sound like it wants to move (horizontally) and resolve to the note C. But the C Major Scale is one of the ‘horizontal’ scales related to the C Lydian Scale. So the V chordmode of F Lydian Scale is the same as the I Major (horizontal) scale of C Lydian Scale when played over a CMaj7 chord. They are the same scale and because the scale is ‘horizontal’ it feels like it wants to resolve or move to the note C (the root note). This is just a different way of thinking about the same scale. But if you wanted to play the ‘true/best/most consonant/most ingoing’ scale of over the CMaj7 chord, you should play the C Lydian Scale (C D E F# G A B C). It’s just a different way of thinking about this scale. Even though you can use the C Ionian scale over a CMaj7 chord (as a horizontal scale in C Lydian), in reality the scale ‘belongs’ in the F Lydian Scale/key and sounds ‘unified’ over an FMaj13#11/C chord. And I wouldn’t worry too much about the letters he uses. He uses different letter names at different times in the book with no real consistency. The important part is the actual note on the piano, not the name of the letter. Sometimes he uses F C G D A E B C# Ab Eb Bb Gb. And sometimes he uses F C G D A E B C# G# D# A# E##. And in terms of when and how to use this concept and the various scales in practice, I think it is to be used as follows. Say we have a Cm7b5 chord and we want to find a scale to use to improvise over this chord. This chord is the #4 chord of the Gb Lydian Scale. This means we can use the 7 vertical and 4 horizontal scales from Gb over this chord (Gb Lyd, Gb Lyd Aug, Gb Lyd Dim, Gb Lyd b7, Gb Wholetone, etc.). Gb Lydian will sound the most ‘pleasant’ or ‘consonant’ and the more related to the Lydian Tonic of (Gb) - i.e. it will sound ingoing. The further out you go (IV - Aux Dim, bII - Aux Dim Blues) it will sound more harsh and ‘dissonant’ and less related to the Lydian Tonic of Gb - i.e. it will be outgoing (so it will sound like it is going to change key/Lydian Tonics soon). But Cm7b5 is also the VI chord of Eb Lydian Diminished Scale (Eb F Gb A Bb C D Eb). This means we can use the 7 vertical and 4 horizontal scales from Eb over this chord (Eb Lyd, Eb Lyd Aug, Eb Lyd Dim, Eb Lyd b7, Eb Wholetone, etc.). But Cm7b5 is MORE related to Gb Lydian and LESS related to Eb Lydian - so will sound more ingoing towards Gb and more outgoing towards Eb. So you have a choice of 22 different scales you can use to improvise over this chord. I think that is the general idea behind the concept. As I said before, it’s a very confusing and difficult concept to understand and lots of people disagree with it. And the book is written terribly. It sounds like he is trying to disguise his confused theory with big words. I hope that makes a little bit of sense. If you find a better explanation please let me know, because I would be interested. But that’s the best I could understand it. In practice, the idea of vertical vs horizontal thinking and the idea of chord-scales are important. The finer details of the LCCOTO are less important in a Jazz context.

[@Billyleenyan]

Allright, went back into the gravity order and i'm starting to understand. So cool that point with EbmMaj7 and Cm7b5, it's really a web. But which are the 4 horizontal scales? Adding just C# and G# from F lyd seems to include almost all scales ( D melodic minor, harmonic maj (c, A and min (A) etc) that could be used as tonics in gypsy stuff So it's strange it's only 4

[@WalkThatBass]

Yeah, exactly. It's all interwoven, like a big web of related scales and chords. This is the idea behind the chord-scale system. And I don't know why there are only 4 horizontal scales. I agree, I don't see why there are not more of them. But this is just Russell's theory and decided to only have 4 horizontal scales, for whatever reason.

[@vladjones2446]

Absolutely brilliant explanation. I've always thought/played/improvised using Lydian as my 'base'. It's arguable that the two most influential improvising guitarists in rock and jazz of the last few decades-Satriani and Metheny respectively-are Lydian 'hearers'/thinkers. Listen to Bright Size Life and Flying In A Blue Dream for the fruits of this way of hearing the world. Lydian uplifts the spirit like no other sound. On a side note this reminds me of the 440 vs 432 debate.

[@theprophylacticprotectagai2069]

Agree that Satriani has moments of a pure maestro HOWEVER I find his keeping his solo for parts strictly Modal at all times in many songs really unmusical and boring and its only where he breaks this mindless robotic modalism legato and ventures into a little more thought and effort with his creative dissonant usually slow progressions eg listen to a true genious like george benson on his Art of Jazz Guitar DVD Or Larry Carlton on his Friends album (South Town or even Song in the 5th grade which would put Steve Vai Joe and all the supposed young guns in their place) )mixing and blending ALL stuff that sounds like real lyricism akin to vocal music of a master

[@TheBoglodite]

Does this apply to other types of chords besides Maj7 chords?

[@romfa8582]

vaya sí soy un genio!

[@thelivekennedyssdcaliforni7841]

there's gotta be much more to the concept- i mean, the dude wrote a whole book on the theory. : ) i can't seem to find anything on youtube other than this same simple explanation. anyone know of a deeper analysis? this was clear and concise but i'd like to travel down the rabbit hole a lot further- not bad enough to buy the book though. it's waaaaay too expensive.

[@WalkThatBass]

Hey mate, So, the LLC is really complex and really convoluted and difficult to understand. It's really poorly written and Russell uses unnecessarily complicated language and renames all the scales to make things extra confusing. If you give me your email address (you can private message me) I can give you some resources which will help. But essentially, George Russell came up with 7 'Principle Scale' (Lydian, Lydian Augmented, Lydian Diminished, Lydian b7, Auxiliary Augmented, Auxiliary Diminished, Auxiliary Diminshed Blues), the main one of which is the Lydian Scale. He then derives chords from each of the degrees of each of the 7 Principle Scales and says you can use any of the 7 Principle Scales over a chord that can be derived from one of the 7 Principle Scales. It's just a different way of allocating 'correct' scales to a particular chord. Say we have a Cm7b5 chord and we want to find a scale to use to improvise over this chord. This chord is the #4 chord of the Gb Lydian Scale. This means we can use the 7 principle scales (he also adds 4 horizontal scales) from Gb over this chord (Gb Lyd, Gb Lyd Aug, Gb Lyd Dim, Gb Lyd b7, Gb Aux Aug, Gb Aux Dim, Gb Aux Dim Blues). Gb Lydian will sound the most ‘pleasant’ or ‘consonant’ over this chord, and the most related to the Lydian Tonic of (Gb). The further out you go (Aux Dim, Aux Dim Blues) it will sound more harsh and ‘dissonant’ and less related to the Lydian Tonic of Gb. But Cm7b5 is also the VI chord of Eb Lydian Diminished Scale (Eb F Gb A Bb C D Eb). This means we can use the 7 vertical and 4 horizontal scales from Eb over this chord (Eb Lyd, Eb Lyd Aug, Eb Lyd Dim, Eb Lyd b7, etc.). But Cm7b5 is MORE related to Gb Lydian and LESS related to Eb Lydian - so will sound more consonant over Gb and more dissonant over Eb. So you have a choice of 22 different scales you can use to improvise over this one chord. That's the general idea behind it. But like I said, it's unnecessarily complex and lots of people disagree with it. But it is an interesting idea. But if you are interested then shoot me through your email and I'll send you what I have.

[@thelivekennedyssdcaliforni7841]

rad! i'm gonna hit you up. what u wrote makes sense, but i start to get a little confused when people talk about why things are more correct than other things in terms of music theory. that's bc music is often created and THEN years later it's put into a box and given rules. you know what i mean- classical, baroque, jazz, etc. but, music theory is just that- THEORY, so it's got its believers and haters. hahaha. again, you know that. i am interested in seeing the lydian theory in depth. i am also a believer that context and culture shapes what we perceive as 'correct' so since we've been told what feelings to associate with minor chords and what feelings to associate with minor chords, etc., makes me wonder how we'd perceive music with fresh ears, untainted by culture. alright- time geek out! : )

[@onesef76]

Well, The musician and teacher at New England Conservatory in Boston Ben Schwendener studied and worked with George Russell for years, and he just released a Book entitled ORGANIC MUSIC THEORY where he explain in details and with examples the Lydian Cromatic Concept. I think you should give this book a try. Best regards.

[@gannonb4u]

To my understanding the reason why C Lydian scale is used to play over a Cmaj chord is because the first tetra chord in the Cmajor scale C,D,E,F (interval of a fourth C to F) leads to the tonic F and away from C (Interval tonics). The 2nd tetra chord of Cmaj G,A,B, C leads to the tonic C so in order to sound the Cmaj chord in a scale one would play C,D,E,F#,G,A,B,C The interval of a Fifth in the 1st tetra chord C to G has C a the tonic sound (again interval tonics). The C Lydian scale best conveys the sound of a C maj chord because both tetra chords have as it's tonic the note C

[@RizalBudiLeksono]

I don't why F is an avoid note in Cmaj7 since it is still pleasant to my ears.

[@bebopreview3187]

Depends where you put it. On top of a C chord as an 11th it creates a minor ninth with the third - not very nice. However put in the bass C/F it sounds ok.

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

I hear the dissonance on the tri-tone of GMaj7 but for some reason not the Cmaj7 ??

[@chopsonyou2007]

Oooohhhh wow

[@petertarsio7168]

Would it be good to pick up and read Russell's book?

[@WalkThatBass]

Give it a go, but it is notoriously nebulous and dense. I personally didn't get much out of it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a go. Good luck...

[@melagro614]

i always thought f sounded strange in c major scale especially while improvising and i would tell myself that i have prejudice against f...

[@EagleHerbs2015]

not sure I get it. Why then would you want f sharp next to your c? A tritone doesn't sound too harmonious.

[@leviandades777]

Cmaj 9/F crackdown it ....Still B open and no avoiding note

[@MartinFritter]

"Removed tonality itself!"

[@masterchain3335]

Which is kind of B.S. considering tonality is still reinforced by the fact that you still have a major V with the same voice leading that makes V in major a satisfying dominant for I. I don't see how Lydian "removes tonality."

[@devilsslave1970]

Okay so that explains the 'lydian' now why the 'chromatic'?

[@sebap2274]

amigo mo sabes todo lo que me ayudas

[@alperdurmus5234]

Respectfully disagree on that the "concept is abstract." Can not be. Otherwise, entire music and its theory is an abstract thing, then. It is another point of view to analyse harmony, composing etc. as well as improvisation, latter of which is (naturally) more often associated with jazz.

[@ryanhenderson8102]

Im gonna have to disagree with this. I checked out the notes in that Cmaj7 chords and they were all in the key of G major. And C is the Lydian mode of the G maj scale, so of course the C Lydian scale will sound good! I think that this study was sort of redundant and unnecessary. Please tell me where I went wrong in disagreeing with this or if you agree with me.

[@atleyking2086]

Ryan Henderson , you are on the right track with a few of your assumptions: the notes of C maj7 belong to the key of G maj (and its subsequent lydian mode). However this is because of the fact that every maj7 chord belongs to two natural major modes and will be the I chord of its root, and the IV chord of its 5th (the keys of C and G in this case). What the lydian chromatic concept tells us is not that the Cmaj scale is an innappropriate scale to use in the context of a Cmaj7 chord in the key of C, but instead, that in order to reach a modality where the notes of the C maj 7 chord (and all of its extensions) harmonize themselves perfectly (in fifths) is to raise the 4th degree, as is illustrated in this video. What we can learn from this is not 'a better way to play over a Cmaj' or any other rule as such, but instead it is a way to gain greater insight on why any Ionian mode sounds good in the first place. Let us imagine that music were to be played in only the lydian mode. As similar as it is to the major (ionian) mode, it lacks one key element: the tonic and dominant relationship. That is, our ear's desire for V chords to resolve back to I chords. The true beauty to the lydian chromatic concept is that it highlights the most pure and unadulterated harmony possible with the 12 tone diatonic scale.

[@bebopreview3187]

I don't think Russell would agree with some of your statements. In reply 1. The lydian scale doesn't get rid of tonality it just changes it. 2. The C lydian scale is absolutely not the same as the G major scale - even if the notes are the same.

[@corneliusvilhelmjunkeriii2361]

So for the IV and V of the key we're playing lydian over the I, would you play standard lydian for the IV and mixolydian for the V?

[@epiphany55]

4 years late to the party here, but my answer would simply be play what sounds good. I would hope George would suggest the same too. Heck I've even heard Ionian used to good effect on the IV.

[@SoChilledOutGuy]

Is it really a theory lesson if the instructor doesn’t say “just trust me on this”?

[@leomartinez3209]

Here in the comment section we have a pretty messy situation, concepts are crashing, and we have some wounded victims of modal confusion. You can count me on the victims side.

[@theprophylacticprotectagai2069]

A F ine Romance, you F I say F sharp...

[@MaemiNoYume]

this video could easily have 50 minutes... =/

[@LAOMUSICARTS]

That is totally simply wrong! I tell how it really was: George Russel was on cruise ship and asked people which chord was more pleasant: Cmaj7 or Cmaj7(b5) and everyone agreed that the second one was it! George then notice that from C to C, F# divides the octave in an perfect amount of half-tones!

[@giotheproducer2476]

I love Jazz, but sometimes it's just " one million scales- and no music"

[@gnulen]

you need a better microphone

[@FelipeTellez]

A very poorly written book that says "play #4" over a maj7 chord to get rid of b9 intervals in 200+ pages.....I also find it very disturbing that one could claim playing major mode over a major chord is "wrong" and that western music has been "wrong" for 400 years.....not to mention the fact that there are multiple musical traditions and that there is no "wrong" in this case. I absolutely love your videos, but Russell's claims are flimsy, and they describe jazz concepts that already exist, and introduce a lot of claims that are objectively wrong, like that the #4 appears before the natural 4 in the harmonic series, and no discussion of "well-tempered" vs "natural tuning", which produces intervals that are plain different and affect his claims. The vocabulary and writing style, few musical examples in comparison to text, its absurdly high cost and absence of backing from major publishing houses sent red flags my way before I was done with the first chapter.... Idk......I'd say steer clear of the book and keep those #11's coming in your solos :)

[@Vanamutt]

Wtf are you on about "avoid notes"? You should learn every sound and master them. You can use 4ths in both melody and comps.Its a matter of having the idea and excecuting it on the instrument,

[@rigelloar7474]

The oldest diatonic instruments ever found ( 7,000 BC ), were Sumerian. The scale they were made to play, is what we now call Lydian.