Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
D Dorian b5 Scale
Mode 2 of Harmonic Major: Dorian with a lowered 5th.
Tap any note to hear it.
D 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15-------------| G|----------------------------12-13-16-------------------| D|-------------------12-14-15----------------------------| A|-------------14-15-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-| B|----------------------------------15-17-18-------| G|----------------------------16-17----------------| D|----------------14-15-17-18----------------------| A|-------14-15-17----------------------------------| E|-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-| B|----------------------------------18-20-21-------| G|-------------------------17-19-21----------------| D|----------------17-18-21-------------------------| A|-------17-19-20----------------------------------| E|-19-20-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------19-20-22-| B|----------------------------------20-21----------| G|-------------------------19-21-22----------------| D|-------------------21-22-------------------------| A|----------19-20-22-------------------------------| E|-19-20-22----------------------------------------|
How to play D Dorian b5 on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| ♭3 | F |
| 4 | G |
| ♭5 | Ab |
| 6 | B |
| ♭7 | C |
Chords in D Dorian b5
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Dorian b5; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Ddim | Dm7b5 | Tonic |
| ii | Em | Em7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Fm | Fm(maj7) | Mediant |
| IV | G | G7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Abaug | Abmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| vi° | Bdim | Bdim7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | C | Cmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Dorian b5 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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Questions
- What notes are in the D Dorian b5 Scale?
- The D Dorian b5 Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F, G, Ab, B, C.
- What chords are in the D Dorian b5 Scale?
- The chords of D Dorian b5 are Ddim (i°), Em (ii), Fm (♭iii), G (IV), Abaug (♭V+), Bdim (vi°), C (♭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 D Dorian b5 on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.