A flat Dorian mode

A flat 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 flat 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 6 flats: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭.

How to play the A flat 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 flat Dorian mode on guitar

On guitar, the root A♭ sits at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 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 flat Dorian mode appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.

Chords in the A flat Dorian mode

Stacking every other note of the scale gives one chord per degree: A♭m, B♭m, C♭, D♭, E♭m, Fdim and G♭. These are the chords you can combine to write a progression that stays in the A flat Dorian mode.

Relative and parallel scales

The A flat Dorian mode shares its notes with the F sharp major scale: same notes, different starting point and a different mood. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the A flat 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

• F sharp major scale
• A flat major scale
• A flat natural minor scale
• A flat minor pentatonic scale
• A flat major pentatonic scale
• A flat blues scale
• A flat Mixolydian mode
• A flat harmonic minor scale
• A♭m
• A♭sus2
• A♭sus4

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