Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
F# Dorian b5 Scale
Mode 2 of Harmonic Major: Dorian with a lowered 5th.
Tap any note to hear it.
F# 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|-----------------------------2-4-5-| B|-------------------------4-5-------| G|-------------------2-4-5-----------| D|-------------2-4-6-----------------| A|-------2-3-6-----------------------| E|-2-4-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-7-8-| B|-------------------------5-7---------| G|-------------------4-5-8-------------| D|-------------4-6-7-------------------| A|---------6-7-------------------------| E|-4-5-7-8-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------7-8-| B|------------------------7-9-10-----| G|--------------------8-9------------| D|-----------6-7-9-10----------------| A|-----6-7-9-------------------------| E|-7-8-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------11-12-| B|-------------------------------10-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-13----------------| D|---------------9-10-13------------------------| A|-------9-11-12--------------------------------| E|-11-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|----------------------13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-14-15-------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Dorian b5 on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–6. 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 | F# |
| 2 | G# |
| ♭3 | A |
| 4 | B |
| ♭5 | C |
| 6 | D# |
| ♭7 | E |
Chords in F# Dorian b5
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F# Dorian b5; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Tonic |
| ii | G#m | G#m7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Am | Am(maj7) | Mediant |
| IV | B | B7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| vi° | D#dim | D#dim7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | E | Emaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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 F# Dorian b5 Scale?
- The F# Dorian b5 Scale has 7 notes: F#, G#, A, B, C, D#, E.
- What chords are in the F# Dorian b5 Scale?
- The chords of F# Dorian b5 are F#dim (i°), G#m (ii), Am (♭iii), B (IV), Caug (♭V+), D#dim (vi°), E (♭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 F# Dorian b5 on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.