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Music Theory

Dorian Scales

The Dorian scale is a minor-sounding scale that differs from the natural minor scale in only one note: its sixth degree is raised by a half step (UK: semitone). That change gives it a brighter sound within the minor family, and it is one of the modes most used in jazz, rock and popular music. Well-known examples are Miles Davis's "So What" and the folk song "Scarborough Fair".

On this page the Dorian scale is written on the tonic of each of the 15 minor keys: it has the key signature of the minor key plus one raised note, the sixth degree. (Dorian can start on any note; for instance, D Dorian uses only white keys.) We start from the natural minor scale:

A natural minor scale, no accidentals: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. Between one note and the next: whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step.

Raising the sixth degree by a half step gives the Dorian scale:

A Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: A, B, C, D, E, F♯, G, A. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: F♯.

In the examples the raised note appears in red to make it easy to see; in exercises you do not need to mark it.

The scales are shown in two ways: with the accidentals written inside the scale and with the key signature. Both ways are equivalent.

Interval pattern of the Dorian scale

The pattern of whole steps and half steps of the Dorian scale is W–H–W–W–W–H–W. The difference from natural minor is the step between the 5th and 6th degrees: a half step in natural minor, a whole step in Dorian. The step between the 6th and 7th degrees changes the other way, from whole step to half step.

Degree12345678
Step from the previous degree—WHWWWHW
A DorianABCDEF♯GA
A natural minorABCDEFGA

The major 6th (F♯ in A Dorian, against F in A natural minor) gives this scale its bright, open sound within the minor family. The ascending melodic minor scale has the same raised sixth, but it raises the seventh degree too; the Dorian scale keeps the minor seventh.

All 15 Dorian scales

Scale123456↑7Accidentals (key signature + raised 6th)
A DorianABCDEF♯GNone + F♯
E DorianEF♯GABC♯D1♯: F♯ + C♯
B DorianBC♯DEF♯G♯A2♯: F♯ C♯ + G♯
F♯ DorianF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E3♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ + D♯
C♯ DorianC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B4♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ + A♯
G♯ DorianG♯A♯BC♯D♯E♯F♯5♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ + E♯
D♯ DorianD♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯C♯6♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ + B♯
A♯ DorianA♯B♯C♯D♯E♯F double sharpG♯7♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯ + F double sharp
D DorianDEFGAB♮C1♭: B♭ + B♮
G DorianGAB♭CDE♮F2♭: B♭ E♭ + E♮
C DorianCDE♭FGA♮B♭3♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ + A♮
F DorianFGA♭B♭CD♮E♭4♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ + D♮
B♭ DorianB♭CD♭E♭FG♮A♭5♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ + G♮
E♭ DorianE♭FG♭A♭B♭C♮D♭6♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ + C♮
A♭ DorianA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♮G♭7♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭ + F♮

Accidentals written inside the scale

Keys with sharps

E Dorian Scale

E Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯, D, E. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: C♯.

B Dorian Scale

B Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A, B. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: G♯.

F♯ Dorian Scale

F♯ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: D♯.

C♯ Dorian Scale

C♯ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: A♯.

G♯ Dorian Scale

G♯ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: E♯.

D♯ Dorian Scale

D♯ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: B♯.

A♯ Dorian Scale

A♯ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯, F double sharp, G♯, A♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: F double sharp.

Keys with flats

D Dorian Scale

D Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: D, E, F, G, A, B♮, C, D. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: B♮.

G Dorian Scale

G Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: G, A, B♭, C, D, E♮, F, G. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: E♮.

C Dorian Scale

C Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: C, D, E♭, F, G, A♮, B♭, C. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: A♮.

F Dorian Scale

F Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♮, E♭, F. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: D♮.

B♭ Dorian Scale

B♭ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♮, A♭, B♭. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: G♮.

E♭ Dorian Scale

E♭ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♮, D♭, E♭. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: C♮.

A♭ Dorian Scale

A♭ Dorian scale, with the accidentals written next to each note: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♮, G♭, A♭. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: F♮.

Accidentals in the key signature

Keys with sharps

E Dorian Scale

E Dorian scale with a key signature of 1 sharp: E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯, D, E. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: C♯.

B Dorian Scale

B Dorian scale with a key signature of 2 sharps: B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A, B. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: G♯.

F♯ Dorian Scale

F♯ Dorian scale with a key signature of 3 sharps: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: D♯.

C♯ Dorian Scale

C♯ Dorian scale with a key signature of 4 sharps: C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: A♯.

G♯ Dorian Scale

G♯ Dorian scale with a key signature of 5 sharps: G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: E♯.

D♯ Dorian Scale

D♯ Dorian scale with a key signature of 6 sharps: D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: B♯.

A♯ Dorian Scale

A♯ Dorian scale with a key signature of 7 sharps: A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯, F double sharp, G♯, A♯. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: F double sharp.

Keys with flats

D Dorian Scale

D Dorian scale with a key signature of 1 flat: D, E, F, G, A, B♮, C, D. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: B♮.

G Dorian Scale

G Dorian scale with a key signature of 2 flats: G, A, B♭, C, D, E♮, F, G. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: E♮.

C Dorian Scale

C Dorian scale with a key signature of 3 flats: C, D, E♭, F, G, A♮, B♭, C. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: A♮.

F Dorian Scale

F Dorian scale with a key signature of 4 flats: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♮, E♭, F. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: D♮.

B♭ Dorian Scale

B♭ Dorian scale with a key signature of 5 flats: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♮, A♭, B♭. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: G♮.

E♭ Dorian Scale

E♭ Dorian scale with a key signature of 6 flats: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♮, D♭, E♭. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: C♮.

A♭ Dorian Scale

A♭ Dorian scale with a key signature of 7 flats: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♮, G♭, A♭. In red, the note that differs from the natural minor scale: F♮.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Dorian scale?
The Dorian scale is a variant of the natural minor scale in which the sixth degree is raised by a half step. This small difference gives it a brighter character within the minor family. It is one of the Greek (church) modes and is widely used in popular music, jazz and folk.
What is the difference between the Dorian and natural minor scales?
The only difference is the sixth degree: in natural minor it is a minor 6th above the tonic, while in Dorian it is a major 6th, a half step higher. All other notes are the same. For example, A natural minor has F, while A Dorian has F♯.
What is the Dorian mode used for?
The Dorian mode is common in popular music, rock, jazz and folk because of its minor sound with some brightness. It is also a standard scale for improvisation and composition in jazz. In theory it is studied as one of the modes of the major scale.
What are the notes of A Dorian?
A B C D E F♯ G. The only difference from A natural minor is the F♯ on the sixth degree; in the natural minor it is F. The other notes are the same.
How is the Dorian scale related to the other modes?
Dorian is the second mode of the major scale. For example, D Dorian has exactly the same notes as C major, starting from D (D E F G A B C). Knowing this relation makes improvising and modal modulation easier in jazz and popular music.