E Dorian ♭5Scale

Formula

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

E Dorian ♭5 on the chromatic circle

E 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 DI Harmonic major 1 EII Dorian ♭5 2 F♯III Phrygian ♭4 ♭3 GIV Lydian ♭3 4 AV Mixolydian ♭2 ♭5 B♭VI Lydian augmented ♯2 6 C♯VII Locrian 𝄫7 E Dorian ♭5
The whole neck

E 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 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 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
Harmony

Chords in E 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°Em7♭5E G B♭ D
iiF♯m7F♯ A C♯ E
♭iiiGm(maj7)G B♭ D F♯
IVA7A C♯ E G
♭V+B♭maj7♯5B♭ D F♯ A
vi°C♯°7C♯ E G B♭
♭VIIDmaj7D F♯ A C♯
Context

Where E Dorian ♭5 fits

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

E 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

E Dorian ♭5 scale questions

What notes are in the E Dorian ♭5 scale?

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

What is the E 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 E Dorian ♭5 scale on guitar?

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

What chords are in the E Dorian ♭5 scale?

Em7♭5 (i°), F♯m7 (ii), Gm(maj7) (♭iii), A7 (IV), B♭maj7♯5 (♭V+), C♯°7 (vi°), Dmaj7 (♭VII).

When is the E Dorian ♭5 scale used?

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