Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
Bb Dorian b5 Scale
Mode 2 of Harmonic Major: Dorian with a lowered 5th.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Dorian b5 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|-------------------------------6-8-9-| B|---------------------------8-9-------| G|---------------------6-8-9-----------| D|--------------6-8-10-----------------| A|-------6-7-10------------------------| E|-6-8-9-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------8-9-11-12-| B|--------------------------------9-11-----------| G|-------------------------8-9-12----------------| D|-----------------8-10-11-----------------------| A|-----------10-11-------------------------------| E|-8-9-11-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14-------| G|----------------------------12-13----------------| D|----------------10-11-13-14----------------------| A|-------10-11-13----------------------------------| E|-11-12-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-| B|----------------------------------14-16-17-------| G|-------------------------13-15-17----------------| D|----------------13-14-17-------------------------| A|-------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-17----------| G|----------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|----------------------17-18-------------------------| A|----------15-16-18-19-------------------------------| E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Dorian b5 on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| ♭3 | Db |
| 4 | Eb |
| ♭5 | Fb |
| 6 | G |
| ♭7 | Ab |
Chords in Bb Dorian b5
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Dorian b5; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Bbdim | Bbm7b5 | Tonic |
| ii | Cm | Cm7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Dbm | Dbm(maj7) | Mediant |
| IV | Eb | Eb7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Fbaug | Fbmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| vi° | Gdim | Gdim7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Ab | Abmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Dorian b5 Scale?
- The Bb Dorian b5 Scale has 7 notes: Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, G, Ab.
- What chords are in the Bb Dorian b5 Scale?
- The chords of Bb Dorian b5 are Bbdim (i°), Cm (ii), Dbm (♭iii), Eb (IV), Fbaug (♭V+), Gdim (vi°), Ab (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the dorian b5 scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W H W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Dorian b5 on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.