The Dorian Mode for Guitarists – Tabs, Patterns & Theory

Guitarists tend to stumble upon modes when they learn more about improvisation, often in a jazz context.

This KillerGuitarRigs guide will teach you the most important knowledge about the Dorian mode, one of the most popular scales that guitarists enjoy using to compose and improvise music.

The Dorian mode sounds similar to a minor scale, but with an uplifting feeling that comes from its natural 6^th. It is frequently used in jazz improvisation over minor chords (minor 7^th and minor 6^th), and can also be heard in songs such as “Oye Como Va” by Santana, “Impressions” by John Coltrane and “Round Midnight” by Thelonious Monk.

Dorian Mode – Overview and Scale Formula

Dorian is one of the seven Greek Modes, which come from the Major Scale.

It is the second mode of the Major scale. This means that we must read the Major scale starting on the second note. That will be the root note of our Dorian scale.

Let’s take C Major as an example and visualize it more clearly.

Now, let’s look at the scale we get by writing these notes, starting on the D instead of the C.

The displacement caused by looking at D as our new root note changes the intervals that exist between each scale degree.

C Major is considered “D Dorian’s parent scale”. 

Since Dorian is the second mode of the Major scale, you can find the parent scale of any Dorian by going back one whole tone. That will give you its corresponding first scale degree.

Use this table as future reference if you’re having trouble finding the parent scale of a Dorian scale:

Parent Scale (Major)	Dorian (II Degree)
C	D
Db	Eb
D	E
Eb	F
E	F#
F	G
F#	G#
G	A
Ab	Bb
A	B
Bb	C
B	C#

The Dorian mode can be described numerically as “1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7”. 

It can be seen as a natural minor scale with a natural 6^th. That note is the one that gives the Dorian mode its characteristic sound.

The examples shown throughout this guide will feature D Dorian, but every shape and pattern can be easily shifted to play in any other key.

Dorian Mode – Scale Notes in D Dorian, When to Play

Using D Dorian as our example, the notes are:

• D (Root)
• E (Major Second)
• F (Minor Third)
• G (Perfect Fourth)
• A (Perfect Fifth)
• B (Major Sixth)
• C (Minor Seventh)

It is considered a minor scale due to its minor third interval; and its 6^th degree is responsible for its “Dorian” sound. This means you should emphasize this note if you want to convey that color in your playing.

Notes	D	E	F	G	A	B	C
Scale Degrees	1Root	2Major Second	b3Minor Third	4Perfect Fourth	5Perfect Fifth	6Major Sixth	b7Minor Seventh
Interval	W	H	W	W	W	H	W

Dorian sounds excellent over minor chords. Here are a couple of examples of when you can apply it:

• Playing D Dorian over a Dm7 in a II V I progression in C (Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7)
• Playing G Dorian over a Gm6 chord (works especially well due to the major sixth interval in the Gm6)

However, it might not always be the best scale to use. Other options such as the natural minor and melodic minor scales also sound good over minor chords – it all depends on the context and your personal taste.

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The Main Scale Patterns for the Dorian Mode – Fretboard Diagrams, Tabs and Notation

This section features diagrams that illustrate the Dorian patterns that exist on the guitar’s fretboard.

Memorizing them will allow you to use this mode more easily and effectively.

As stated above, D Dorian uses the same notes as the C Major scale, centered on a different tonic (D). 

Because of this, you’ll notice that the shapes are the same as you use to play the Major scale, but targeting a different root. Once you figure out which shapes correspond to the mode you want to play, everything becomes much clearer.

Here is the location of every note of this scale on the fretboard, from the open strings to the 12^th fret. The tonic is displayed in red and the other notes in black.

This similarity means that if you are aware of where the C Major Scale notes are, you can at least improvise using D Dorian in a somewhat controlled way, since you can at least avoid playing notes outside of the scale.

However, it is much more efficient to learn Dorian scale patterns and apply them to D. 

Here are some of the main scale patterns you should memorize. Remember, these are in D Dorian, but moving the root to any other note allows you to play every Dorian scale.

You also have the corresponding guitar tab for each diagram.

Root on the 6^th String (10^th Fret) and 4^th String (12^th Fret)

Tab:

Root on the 5^th String (5^th Fret) and 3^rd String (7^th Fret)

Tab:

Root on the 4^th String (Open 4^th String or 12^th Fret) and 2^nd String (3^rd or 15^th Fret)

Tab:

Root on the 3^rd String (7^th Fret) and 1^st String (10^th Fret)

Tab:

You can also combine some of these patterns to cover two octaves of the D Dorian scale. Here are a couple of examples:

D Dorian 2 Octave Pattern #1 (Root 6^th String)

Fretboard region between the 9^th and 13^th frets

Tab:

D Dorian 2 Octave Pattern #2 (Root 5^th String)

Fretboard region between the 5^th and 10^th frets

Tab:

Also, while you should be able to play the scale from root to root, you should be aware of the rest of the scale notes in the entire fretboard region. 

To gain that awareness, you should cover every single note within your current fretboard region when practicing scales. 

This is also why the last scale pattern did not start on the root note, but rather on the 5^th scale degree (A on the 5^th fret of the 6^th string).

There are even more patterns to play Dorian scales, but these are enough to get you started.

Refer to the main D Dorian diagram from this guide to find every note of the scale.

In regards to transposing these shapes: let’s say that you want to play E Dorian instead. Since E is one whole step (two semitones) away from D, just move the patterns mentioned above two frets higher on the fretboard.

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3 Notes per String Method Applied to D Dorian

The 3 notes per string method teaches you about 7 unique scale patterns that all have 3 notes on each string.

Each pattern starts on a scale degree (root, second, etc.). 

Knowing these patterns helps you locate yourself easily in every fretboard region, and they can be applied to any scale if you transpose them appropriately.

First Pattern

Second Pattern

Third Pattern

Fourth Pattern

Fifth Pattern

Sixth Pattern

Seventh Pattern

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Final Thoughts about the Dorian Mode

The Dorian mode is a valuable and versatile musical resource that you should want to have in your vocabulary, whether you’re playing jazz, blues, funk, or any other music genre.

Memorize the main shapes and try to apply them whenever you can until it becomes something natural that you can use without effort.