Colour key
R234p567Each colour is a scale degree, counted from the key. A ♭ or ♯ note keeps its degree's colour: ♭3 is still amber.
D♭ Dorian
Natural 6th (♮6) over a minor 3rd and ♭7. Minor but warm and hopeful: soul, funk, jazz-rock.
Where you hear it: Groove vamps over i7 – IV7 ("So What", Santana).
Step pattern W – H – W – W – W – H – W
- Relative major: B major (this mode starts on its 2nd degree)
- Relative minor: A♭ natural minor (starts on the 6th degree of B major)
- Compared with D♭ major: ♭3 F → F♭, ♭7 C → C♭
- Compared with D♭ natural minor: ♯6 B♭♭ → B♭
D♭ Dorian on the guitar
Pick a position below to outline it on the neck.
in the minor pentatonic: playedother notes of Dorian: not playedPlay runs up the position from its lowest note and back down; Sample melody plays a short tune using only its notes. Tap a position's name to see it on the neck.
Modes with the same notes as D♭ Dorian
Every chord in D♭ Dorian
- D♭m71/18easyfret 4· shell
- E♭m71/13easyfret 6· shell
- F♭maj71/21easyfret 12· shell
- G♭71/19easyfret 2· shell
- A♭m71/16easyfret 4· shell
- B♭m7♭51/12easyfret 1· shell
- C♭maj71/19easyfret 7· shell
Each chord stacks every other note of the scale (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th). Tap a row to hear it.
Iconic progressions in D♭ Dorian
A few well-known chord loops that bring out this scale’s sound. Play one through, or tap a chord to hear it.
i – IV
Two chords hold the whole Dorian sound. The IV7 is a major chord that carries the natural 6th, the one note that separates Dorian from natural minor. “Oye Como Va” lives here.
i – ♭VII – IV
A rock vamp. The ♭VII falls a whole step from home as in natural minor, but the IV after it brings the natural 6th back, so it sounds minor and hopeful at once.
♭III – IV – i
A climb into home. ♭III steps up to IV (which holds the Dorian 6th) and then falls to i.
Sus and extension chords from each chord
From D♭m you can go through the 2nd of the scale to sus2 and 9 chords, through the 4th to sus4 and 11, and so on. All seven chords of D♭ Dorian.
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Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.