Guitar scale · Dorian mode
Eb Dorian Scale
Minor mode featuring a major 6th degree, producing a cool, funky, and jazzy minor sound.
Tap any note to hear it.
Eb 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|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19-------| G|-------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|----------------15-16-18-------------------------| A|-------15-16-18----------------------------------| E|-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------18-20-22----------------| D|-------------------18-20-22-------------------------| A|----------18-20-21----------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------20-21-| B|-------------------------21-------| G|-------------------20-22----------| D|-------------20-22----------------| A|-------20-21----------------------| E|-20-21----------------------------|
How to play Eb Dorian on guitar
Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb 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 11–15. 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.
Eb Dorian uses exactly the same notes as Db major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. On the guitar those are the same frets as C# major, the name it is listed under here. See the C# Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eb |
| 2 | F |
| ♭3 | Gb |
| 4 | Ab |
| 5 | Bb |
| 6 | C |
| ♭7 | Db |
Chords in Eb Dorian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Dorian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Ebm7 | Tonic |
| ii | Fm | Fm7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Mediant |
| IV | Ab | Ab7 | Subdominant |
| v | Bbm | Bbm7 | Dominant |
| vi° | Cdim | Cm7b5 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Db | Dbmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise Eb Dorian anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the Eb Dorian Scale?
- The Eb Dorian Scale has 7 notes: Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db.
- What chords are in the Eb Dorian Scale?
- The chords of Eb Dorian are Ebm (i), Fm (ii), Gb (♭III), Ab (IV), Bbm (v), Cdim (vi°), Db (♭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 Eb Dorian on the guitar?
- The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.