A Dorian mode

A Dorian mode uses the notes A, B, C, D, E, F♯ and G. Counted from A, its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7, and the distance between neighbouring notes follows the pattern W H W W W H W.

Notes, formula and steps

Read from the root, the A Dorian mode contains root (A), major 2nd (B), minor 3rd (C), perfect 4th (D), perfect 5th (E), major 6th (F♯) and minor 7th (G). The step pattern W H W W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half) is the same for every Dorian mode, so you can rebuild it from any note. This scale has 1 sharp: F♯.

How to play the A Dorian mode on piano

Start on A and play A, B, C, D, E, F♯ and G going up, then come back down. Say the note names out loud while you play: it links the sound, the keys and the names. Practise hands separately first, slowly with the metronome, then speed up.

How to play the A Dorian mode on guitar

On guitar, the root A sits at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Start from one of these roots and play the notes of the fretboard map above in order, one string after another. The whole-neck view shows every place the A Dorian mode appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.

Chords in the A Dorian mode

Stacking every other note of the scale gives one chord per degree: Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F♯dim and G. These are the chords you can combine to write a progression that stays in the A Dorian mode.

Relative and parallel scales

The A Dorian mode shares its notes with the G major scale: same notes, different starting point and a different mood. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the A major scale. Switching between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.

About the Dorian mode

A minor mode with a bright twist: the major 6th. Dorian sounds minor but not sad: cool, soulful, slightly hopeful. That raised 6th is the colour note, and it implies a major IV chord inside a minor key (for example Dm to G in D Dorian), which gives Dorian grooves their characteristic lift.

Funk, soul, jazz, Latin rock and Celtic music. Think of minor grooves on im7 to IV7 or i to IV. Play it over any m7 chord, especially the ii7 of a major key and one-chord minor vamps. In jazz it is the default sound for minor 7th chords, and in rock it adds sophistication to a minor pentatonic solo.

On guitar, take your minor pentatonic box and add the 2nd and the 6th, or play the parent major scale shape starting from its 2nd degree. On piano, the white keys from D to D give D Dorian: vamp Dm7 to G in the left hand and stress the B. Make the 6th audible in each phrase, or it will just sound like natural minor.

The 2nd of the modes of the major scale: formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7, steps W H W W W H W. Dorian is the natural minor with a raised 6th. Its parent major scale starts a whole step below (D Dorian has the notes of C major). Harmonised, its tonic chord is a m7 and its IV chord is a dominant 7.

Related

• G major scale
• A major scale
• A natural minor scale
• A minor pentatonic scale
• A major pentatonic scale
• A blues scale
• A Mixolydian mode
• A harmonic minor scale
• Am
• Asus2
• Asus4

Ready to go further than the chart?

The free GuitarHarmony workshop shows every scale on the whole neck, names any chord you play and builds progressions with you. Free account, no card.

Try it free