Guitar scale · Dorian mode
C# Dorian Scale
Minor mode featuring a major 6th degree, producing a cool, funky, and jazzy minor sound.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# 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|---------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|---------------------------------11-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13-----------------------| A|---------9-11-13-------------------------------| E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-| B|----------------------------------14-16-17-------| G|-------------------------13-15-16----------------| D|----------------13-14-16-------------------------| A|-------13-14-16----------------------------------| E|-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|-------------------16-18-20-------------------------| A|----------16-18-19----------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------18-20-21----------------| D|-------------------18-20-21-------------------------| A|----------18-19-21----------------------------------| E|-18-19-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Dorian on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# 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 9–13. 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.
C# Dorian uses exactly the same notes as B major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the B Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| ♭3 | E |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| 6 | A# |
| ♭7 | B |
Chords in C# Dorian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Dorian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | C#m7 | Tonic |
| ii | D#m | D#m7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | E | Emaj7 | Mediant |
| IV | F# | F#7 | Subdominant |
| v | G#m | G#m7 | Dominant |
| vi° | A#dim | A#m7b5 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | B | Bmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Dorian anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Dorian Scale?
- The C# Dorian Scale has 7 notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B.
- What chords are in the C# Dorian Scale?
- The chords of C# Dorian are C#m (i), D#m (ii), E (♭III), F# (IV), G#m (v), A#dim (vi°), B (♭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 C# Dorian on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.