Guitar scale · Dorian mode
Bb Dorian Scale
Minor mode featuring a major 6th degree, producing a cool, funky, and jazzy minor sound.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb 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|--------------------------------6-8-9-| B|----------------------------8-9-------| G|---------------------6-8-10-----------| D|--------------6-8-10------------------| A|-------6-8-10-------------------------| E|-6-8-9--------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------8-9-11-| B|--------------------------------9-11--------| G|------------------------8-10-12-------------| D|----------------8-10-11---------------------| A|--------8-10-11-----------------------------| E|-8-9-11-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14-------| G|-------------------------10-12-13----------------| D|----------------10-11-13-------------------------| A|-------10-11-13----------------------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-17-------------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|----------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|-------------------15-17-18-------------------------| A|----------15-16-18----------------------------------| E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Dorian 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.
Bb Dorian uses exactly the same notes as Ab major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the Ab Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| ♭3 | Db |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| 6 | G |
| ♭7 | Ab |
Chords in Bb Dorian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Dorian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | Bbm7 | Tonic |
| ii | Cm | Cm7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | Db | Dbmaj7 | Mediant |
| IV | Eb | Eb7 | Subdominant |
| v | Fm | Fm7 | Dominant |
| vi° | Gdim | Gm7b5 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Ab | Abmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Dorian Scale?
- The Bb Dorian Scale has 7 notes: Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab.
- What chords are in the Bb Dorian Scale?
- The chords of Bb Dorian are Bbm (i), Cm (ii), Db (♭III), Eb (IV), Fm (v), Gdim (vi°), Ab (♭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 Bb Dorian 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.