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    YoutubeMusic Theory Video SeriesA step-by-step guide to music theory fundamentals. These 60-second videos provide a clear, structured path to understanding how music works, optimized for a full-screen learning experience.YoutubeMusic Theory ShortsMaster music theory concepts in 60 seconds or less. Quick, vertical videos designed to give you essential theory knowledge in a fast-paced, mobile-friendly format.
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    1. Home
    3. Scale Library
    5. A
    7. Dorian

    A Dorian

    The Dorian mode is a minor-mode scale with interval formula 1-2-♭3-4-5-6-♭7 and step pattern W-H-W-W-W-H-W.

    Guitar diagrams

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    Which intervals and notes are in the A Dorian scale?

    Intervals from the tonic that build this scale step by step.

    Which chords can you play on the A Dorian scale?

    Diatonic chords on each degree of this scale.

    To which mode does A Dorian belong?

    Related modes that use the same notes with a different tonal center.

    Related scales for A Dorian

    Explore scales that share many of the same notes and compare how their tonal center changes the sound.

    Practice the dorian scale

    Open the app and start your daily workout!

    Learn music theory with sonid

    Available on Android and iOS

    Practice the dorian scale

    Open the app and start your daily workout!

    Learn music theory with sonid

    Available on Android and iOS

    DegreeTriadSeventhExtendedScale
    I
    A
    M
    A
    maj7
    A
    maj13
    A
    maj9
    		A Major
    II
    A
    m
    A
    m7
    A
    m9
    A
    m11
    A
    m13
    A
    m69
    		A Dorian
    III
    A
    m
    A
    m7
    A
    m
    		A Phrygian
    IV
    A
    M
    A
    maj7
    A
    M13♯11
    A
    maj9♯11
    		A Lydian
    V
    A
    M
    VI
    VII

    The Dorian mode is a minor-mode scale with a distinctive bright twist. It keeps the minor third but uses a natural 6, giving it a color that is darker than major yet more open than natural minor. Dorian is widely used in jazz, funk, modal rock, film scoring, and modern improvisation.

    Construction and formula

    Dorian follows the interval formula 1-2-♭3-4-5-6-♭7, with the step pattern W-H-W-W-W-H-W. In D Dorian, the notes are D-E-F-G-A-B-C. You can also view it as the second mode of a major scale: D Dorian uses the same notes as C major, but with D as tonal center.

    Compared with natural minor (1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7), the key difference is the raised sixth degree. That single change is what gives Dorian its more flexible, less closed minor character.

    Musical usage

    Dorian works especially well over minor chords that include a natural 6 color, such as m6, m9, and modal vamp contexts. In jazz it appears in modal tunes and ii-chord environments; in funk and rock it supports groove-based progressions that avoid strong tonal cadencing.

    Melodically, emphasizing 6 against ♭3 helps define the mode quickly. If you avoid flattening that 6, listeners will usually hear Dorian clearly rather than Aeolian.

    Examples

    • Modal jazz vamps centered on a single minor harmony.
    • Funk and fusion grooves built from minor chords with a natural 6 color.
    • Rock and film themes that need minor mood with forward motion.
    • Improvisation studies contrasting Dorian and natural minor on one tonic.

    In practice

    Practice Dorian by alternating between natural minor and Dorian on the same root, and focus your ear on the ♭6 versus 6 difference. Then build short motifs that resolve to chord tones while highlighting the 6 as a signature color note.

    For writing, Dorian is useful when you want minor identity without the heavier pull of Aeolian. For improvisation, treat it as a chord-scale language over minor harmony with modal, non-functional movement.

    A
    7
    A
    13
    A
    9
    A
    7no5
    A Mixolydian
    A
    m
    A
    m7
    A
    m9
    A
    m11
    A
    madd9
    A Minor
    A
    m7♭5
    A Locrian
    NameAliasesDifficulty
    A Minorm, min, -Beginner
    A Minor seventhm7, min7, mi7, -7Beginner
    A Fifth5Beginner
    A Suspended secondsus2Beginner
    A Suspended second and fourthsus24, sus4add9Beginner
    sus4, susBeginner
    m6, -6Easy
    m7add11, m7add4Easy
    m9, -9Easy
    madd9Easy
    9sus4, 9susEasy
    11Easy
    m11, -11Easy
    madd4Intermediate
    4, quartalIntermediate
    m69, -69Intermediate
    13sus4, 13susExpert
    m13, -13Expert
    7sus4, 7susExpert
    A Suspended fourth
    A Minor sixth
    A Minor seventh add eleventh
    A Minor ninth
    A Minor add ninth
    A Dominant ninth suspended fourth
    A Dominant eleventh
    A Minor eleventh
    A Minor add fourth
    A Fourth
    A Minor six-nine
    A Dominant thirteenth suspended fourth
    A Minor thirteenth
    A Seventh suspension four
    IntervalsemitonesNote
    Perfect unison0A
    Major second2B
    Minor third3C
    Perfect fourth5D
    Perfect fifth7E
    Major sixth9F♯
    Minor seventh10G
    NameAliasesDifficulty
    A Minor pentatonicvietnamese 2Easy
    A Minor six pentatonic-Intermediate
    A Flat three pentatonickumoiExpert
    A Egyptian-Expert
    A Piongio-Guru
    -Guru
    A Ritusen