B Dorian ♭5Scale

Formula

W H W H 1½ H W 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
The family

B Dorian ♭5 on the chromatic circle

B Dorian ♭5 is the 2nd mode of the Harmonic major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W H 1½ H ♭7 AI Harmonic major 1 BII Dorian ♭5 2 C♯III Phrygian ♭4 ♭3 DIV Lydian ♭3 4 EV Mixolydian ♭2 ♭5 FVI Lydian augmented ♯2 6 G♯VII Locrian 𝄫7 B Dorian ♭5
The whole neck

B Dorian ♭5 across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5
Harmony

Chords in B Dorian ♭5

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
i°Bm7♭5B D F A
iiC♯m7C♯ E G♯ B
♭iiiDm(maj7)D F A C♯
IVE7E G♯ B D
♭V+Fmaj7♯5F A C♯ E
vi°G♯°7G♯ B D F
♭VIIAmaj7A C♯ E G♯
Context

Where B Dorian ♭5 fits

Over m7♭5 chords: a rare colour in jazz.

B Dorian ♭5 is mode 2 of the harmonic major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Dorian ♭5 scale in every key

B Dorian ♭5 scale questions

What notes are in the B Dorian ♭5 scale?

B C♯ D E F G♯ A. As degrees from the root: 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7.

What is the B Dorian ♭5 scale formula?

1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, W H W H 1½ H W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the B Dorian ♭5 scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of B Dorian ♭5 up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape.

What chords are in the B Dorian ♭5 scale?

Bm7♭5 (i°), C♯m7 (ii), Dm(maj7) (♭iii), E7 (IV), Fmaj7♯5 (♭V+), G♯°7 (vi°), Amaj7 (♭VII).

When is the B Dorian ♭5 scale used?

Over m7♭5 chords: a rare colour in jazz.