F Dorian ♭5Scale

Formula

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

F Dorian ♭5 on the chromatic circle

F 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 E♭I Harmonic major 1 FII Dorian ♭5 2 GIII Phrygian ♭4 ♭3 A♭IV Lydian ♭3 4 B♭V Mixolydian ♭2 ♭5 C♭VI Lydian augmented ♯2 6 DVII Locrian 𝄫7 F Dorian ♭5
The whole neck

F 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 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 6 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 1 2
Harmony

Chords in F 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°Fm7♭5F A♭ C♭ E♭
iiGm7G B♭ D F
♭iiiA♭m(maj7)A♭ C♭ E♭ G
IVB♭7B♭ D F A♭
♭V+C♭maj7♯5C♭ E♭ G B♭
vi°D°7D F A♭ C♭
♭VIIE♭maj7E♭ G B♭ D
Context

Where F Dorian ♭5 fits

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

F 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

F Dorian ♭5 scale questions

What notes are in the F Dorian ♭5 scale?

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

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

This page draws every note of F 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 F Dorian ♭5 scale?

Fm7♭5 (i°), Gm7 (ii), A♭m(maj7) (♭iii), B♭7 (IV), C♭maj7♯5 (♭V+), D°7 (vi°), E♭maj7 (♭VII).

When is the F Dorian ♭5 scale used?

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