Guitar scale · Dorian mode
B Dorian Scale
Minor mode featuring a major 6th degree, producing a cool, funky, and jazzy minor sound.
Tap any note to hear it.
B Dorian Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|----------------------------------7-9-10-| B|-----------------------------9-10--------| G|----------------------7-9-11-------------| D|---------------7-9-11--------------------| A|--------7-9-11---------------------------| E|-7-9-10----------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|---------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12-----------------------| A|---------9-11-12-------------------------------| E|-9-10-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|----------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|-------11-12-14----------------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------14-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-19-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-19----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19-------------------------| A|----------16-17-19----------------------------------| E|-16-17-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Dorian on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 7–11. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
B Dorian uses exactly the same notes as A major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the A Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| ♭3 | D |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| 6 | G# |
| ♭7 | A |
Chords in B Dorian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Dorian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Bm7 | Tonic |
| ii | C#m | C#m7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | D | Dmaj7 | Mediant |
| IV | E | E7 | Subdominant |
| v | F#m | F#m7 | Dominant |
| vi° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | A | Amaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B Dorian anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Dorian Scale?
- The B Dorian Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A.
- What chords are in the B Dorian Scale?
- The chords of B Dorian are Bm (i), C#m (ii), D (♭III), E (IV), F#m (v), G#dim (vi°), A (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the dorian scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Dorian on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.