Dorian Mode
1 - 2 - ♭3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - ♭7
Dorian is one of music’s most common and versatile modes.
It’s a minor scale with a natural 6th. Whereas the natural minor (aka Aeolian) better supports power and tragedy and long chord progressions, Dorian circles and grooves. It’s content to marinate in a smaller harmonic space. Dorian is cooler, more collected, still fundamentally minor-sounding but without the drama. It can be introspective, mysterious, searching, hopeful, lonely, - and occasionally heroic. It’s the sound of long night drives, ancient chants, and urban landscapes. It’s about as common as Aeolian.
And it’s a Mixolydian scale with a flat 3rd. Whereas Mixolydian is a chill groovy scale on the bright side of the line, Dorian is its chill groovy neighbor on the dark side of the line.
Where do you see Dorian used?
A ton of places. Folk, rock, funk, jazz, 80s pop, soul, trance, you name it.
You don’t see it as often in really dark places like death metal, you don’t see it used much in classic music, and you don’t see music sticking to just Dorian when it wants an uncommon harmonic sound.
Characteristic Sound
Dorian sounds minor but hopeful - not as dark as natural minor (Aeolian). The raised 6th creates a brighter color while maintaining the minor 3rd.
Why does it work so well?
- The root chord, the
i7 , is gold- Every note in the scale sounds strong played over the
i7 : it’s got a 9th, an 11th, and a 13th. This also means you can use those chord extensions to play different variants of thei7 chord in your harmony instrument (guitar, piano, etc.)
- Every note in the scale sounds strong played over the
- The natural 6th is a great color, and gives you some great chords.
- For example: where Aeolean has the dark and powerful
iv7 and♭VI chords, Dorian has chill groovyIV7 andvi7♭5 chords.
- For example: where Aeolean has the dark and powerful
- It's built for vamping: without Aeolian's strong subdominant and dominant functions (the harmonic moves that give you strong turnarounds), Dorian excels at circular grooves more than directional progressions. It’s better at atmosphere than stories.
- Dorian excels at two-chord vamps, though there are a lot of great 3- or 4-chord vamps. Dorian can and does support longer chord progressions sometimes, they’re just not anywhere near as strong or clear feeling as Aeolian’s progressions.
How is the mode structured?
I think the best way to understand Dorian is to understand its simplest 2-chord vamps first. The most characteristic Dorian vamps emphasize the
You have two A-side vamps and two B-side vamps:
The
The
It also has the