i7 → IV7: The Dorian IV

This is one of the top vamps in all of music. It's everywhere. If you hear someone say "the Dorian vamp", this is the one they mean. It slaps. It's chill. It's energetic. It's mystical.

What should you listen for?

• The brightness that appears on the IV7
• How the bass movement to the 4 creates lift
• The way melody notes work over both chords
  • There is just one "avoid note", in jazz-speak: the ♭7 over the IV7
  • Tip for creating riffs: moving from the ♭7 to the 6 as you move from the i7 chord to the IV7 is a great, characteristic sound. Falling by a half-step is a really satisfying motion. You'll see this a lot in a rhythm guitar or on the keys. In fact this motion works great for almost all of the Dorian vamps.

A note on "reverse" vamps: When we say that Lucky and Criminal in the examples below use the vamp in reverse (IV7 - i7), this is really the same vamp. If you have a loop, i7 - IV7 - i7 - IV7…, whether you start on the i7 or the IV7 is just a fine-tuning matter of shaping and harmonic rhythm.

In D Dorian