D♭ DorianScale

Formula

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

D♭ Dorian on the chromatic circle

D♭ Dorian is the 2nd mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H ♭7 C♭I Ionian 1 D♭II Dorian 2 E♭III Phrygian ♭3 F♭IV Lydian 4 G♭V Mixolydian 5 A♭VI Aeolian 6 B♭VII Locrian D♭ Dorian
The whole neck

D♭ Dorian 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 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 1 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4
Harmony

Chords in D♭ Dorian

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

DegreeChordNotes
iD♭m7D♭ F♭ A♭ C♭
iiE♭m7E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭
♭IIIF♭maj7F♭ A♭ C♭ E♭
IVG♭7G♭ B♭ D♭ F♭
vA♭m7A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭
vi°B♭m7♭5B♭ D♭ F♭ A♭
♭VIIC♭maj7C♭ E♭ G♭ B♭
Context

Where D♭ Dorian fits

Minor with a bright 6th: minor funk, soul, rock and jazz vamps. The usual choice over a m7 chord, such as the ii of a jazz ii–V–I.

D♭ Dorian is mode 2 of the 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 scale in every key

D♭ Dorian scale questions

What notes are in the D♭ Dorian scale?

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

What is the D♭ Dorian scale formula?

1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, W H W W W 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 D♭ Dorian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of D♭ Dorian 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 C shape to the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape.

What chords are in the D♭ Dorian scale?

D♭m7 (i), E♭m7 (ii), F♭maj7 (♭III), G♭7 (IV), A♭m7 (v), B♭m7♭5 (vi°), C♭maj7 (♭VII).

When is the D♭ Dorian scale used?

Minor with a bright 6th: minor funk, soul, rock and jazz vamps. The usual choice over a m7 chord, such as the ii of a jazz ii–V–I.