The Dorian Scale on Guitar
Dorian is a minor scale with one note changed: the 6th is raised a half step. In A, that means F# instead of F. That one note is the whole sound, and knowing where it is, and where it clashes, is most of what you need to use Dorian well.
Most lessons tell you D Dorian is the C major scale starting on D. That’s true, and it’s why so many players’ Dorian sounds exactly like their natural minor. It tells you the notes. It doesn’t tell you what Dorian sounds like or when to use it. This page does both.
Hear it first
Let the open A string ring. Play this up the G string slowly and let each note hang over it.
One fret is the only difference. The F at the 10th fret leans down toward the E below it, and that pull is the heavy sound of natural minor. The F# at the 11th doesn’t lean anywhere. It brightens the minor sound without turning it major. That’s Dorian.
Four patterns, root to root
You’ll find plenty of five-box Dorian charts elsewhere. I don’t use them. A six-string box hides the root somewhere in the middle of a grid of dots. A one-octave pattern that runs from A to A keeps home at the bottom and the top, so you always know which note you’re on.
It also makes the F# easy to find. In every pattern below, it’s two notes below the top A.
That’s all the fingering you need to start using Dorian. Find any A, play the pattern that starts there, and know where the F# is.
Dorian in every key
The Dorian note is always the 6th, and the chord Dorian goes to is the dominant 7th built on the 4th. The patterns above move to any key: put the root on the key note.
| Key | Notes | Dorian note | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Dorian | C D E♭ F G A B♭ | A | F7 |
| C# Dorian | C# D# E F# G# A# B | A# | F#7 |
| D Dorian | D E F G A B C | B | G7 |
| E♭ Dorian | E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ | C | A♭7 |
| E Dorian | E F# G A B C# D | C# | A7 |
| F Dorian | F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ | D | B♭7 |
| F# Dorian | F# G# A B C# D# E | D# | B7 |
| G Dorian | G A B♭ C D E F | E | C7 |
| A♭ Dorian | A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G♭ | F | D♭7 |
| A Dorian | A B C D E F# G | F# | D7 |
| B♭ Dorian | B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ | G | E♭7 |
| B Dorian | B C# D E F# G# A | G# | E7 |
When to use Dorian, and when not to
You don’t need theory to know when Dorian fits. You need one note and a look at the chords. In A, the note is F# for Dorian and F for natural minor. In another key, check the table above for that key’s Dorian note.
- If any chord has an F# in it, Dorian is your minor scale.
- If any chord has an F in it, Dorian clashes. Use natural minor over that chord.
- If none of the chords has either, it’s your choice.
In A, the chords that bring the F# are D, D7, D9 and Bm7. The ones that rule Dorian out are Dm, F and Bm7♭5. These are the vamps where you’ll hear Dorian most:
| Vamp in A | Heard in |
|---|---|
| Am7, one chord | “So What” and “Impressions” (both in D) |
| Am7 to D7 or D9 | “Oye Como Va”, “Evil Ways” (in G) |
| Am7 to Bm7 | “Moondance” |
| Am to D | “Breathe” by Pink Floyd (as Em to A) |
It doesn’t have to be one or the other for a whole song. Am, D, F, G is Dorian for two bars and natural minor for two. You change one note when the chords change.
Why Dorian goes to the IV chord
Fret the 4th fret on the D string and the 5th fret on the G string together. That’s F# and C. Now put a bass note under them.
Over A, the two notes sound like a minor chord with a lift (Am6). Over D, the same two notes are D7. The F# that gives Dorian its sound is the note that makes D7 a D7. So when a tune goes from Am7 to D7, the chord is playing your Dorian note for you, and that’s why the change sounds so smooth.
The minor blues trap
You’ve probably been told Dorian works over a minor blues. Over the Am chord, yes. Over the Dm chord, no. Dm has an F in it, so A Dorian puts F# on top of F, and that’s where a lot of minor blues solos go sour.
The fix is one note. Over Dm, swap the F# for F. Those are the same notes as D Dorian, so you’re still playing Dorian, just from the root of the chord you’re on.
Dorian: Vamps, Voicings and the Natural 6th
This page gets you the sound and the shapes. The book is about what to do with them, and it starts where most mode books stop. It’s a PDF, so you get it straight away.
- Comping. The chords that say Dorian, chords in fourths, and how to keep one chord interesting for sixteen bars.
- Soloing without licks. Simple rules that make you build your own phrases, plus the three notes that make a two-chord vamp sound like it’s changing.
- Where you’ll meet it. Modal jazz, funk and Latin, and rock, each with the chords, the comping and the soloing.
- Twelve vamps to play over, with tempos and feels, and a template for writing your own.
Common questions
What’s the difference between Dorian and natural minor?
One note. Dorian has a natural 6th, natural minor has a flat 6th. In A, that’s F# against F. Everything else is the same.
What chords go with the Dorian scale?
The minor chord on the root, especially m6, m9 and m13, and the dominant chord on the 4th. In A, that’s Am6 or Am7 going to D7 or D9. Bm7 also works, because it contains the F#.
Is Dorian the same as the major scale starting on the 2nd note?
It has the same notes, so on paper, yes. In practice, thinking that way is why many players never hear the difference. It’s more useful to think of A Dorian as A minor with an F#.
Can I use Dorian over a minor blues?
Over the i chord, yes. Over the iv chord, switch to the natural 6th of the key (F in A), or you’ll clash with the chord.
Which songs use the Dorian scale?
“So What”, “Impressions”, “Oye Como Va”, “Evil Ways”, “Moondance” and “Breathe” by Pink Floyd are all built on Dorian vamps.
Get past the scale and into the sound
Comping, soloing rules and twelve vamps, in Dorian: Vamps, Voicings and the Natural 6th.
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