The Dorian Scales

Dorian mode is one of the seven traditional musical modes, known for its unique blend of brightness and darkness that sets it apart from the major and minor scales. Built by raising the sixth note of the natural minor scale, it creates a sound that is both soulful and versatile—often described as minor with a hint of optimism. Used across genres from ancient folk melodies to jazz improvisations and modern film scores, the Dorian mode lets musicians a fresh palette for creating music that feels both familiar and unexpected.

In the Dorian mode, the arrangement of whole steps (tones) and half steps (semitones) between consecutive notes follows a specific pattern. Consecutive notes are a whole step apart, except for the 2nd to 3rd degree and the 6th to 7th degree, which are a half step apart. This gives the Dorian scale its distinctive flavor: it feels close to the natural minor scale, but with a raised 6th, creating a brighter, more flexible sound that works well in both modal and tonal music.

Let’s take a look at the Dorian scales on each starting note.

Dorian Scales

D Dorian

D Dorian consists of all white notes.

Here are the notes in D Dorian: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D

Here is the D dorian scale.

D Dorian Scale

Here are the corresponding notes in the D Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the D Dorian Scale

Listen to the D Dorian Scale here:

D# Dorian/ E♭ Dorian

Here are the notes in D# Dorian: D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#, D#

D# Dorian Scale

E♭ is enharmonic to D#, and the scale of E♭ and D# Dorian are essentially the same notes on the piano.

Here are the notes in E♭ Dorian: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭.

Here are the notes for E flat Dorian. Note that D# dorian is enharmonic to E flat dorian. They are essentially the same notes.

E♭ Dorian Scale

Here are the corresponding notes in the D# Dorian scale and E flat dorian scale on the piano. Note that D# Dorian scale and E flat dorian scales are enharmonic to each other.

Notes in the D# or E♭ Dorian Scale

Listen to the D# or E♭ Dorian scale here:

E Dorian

Here are the notes in E Dorian: E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E

Here are the notes for the E Dorian Scale.

E Dorian Scale

Here are the notes for the E Dorian Scale on the piano.

Notes in the E Dorian Scale

Listen to the E Dorian Scale here:

F Dorian

Here are the notes in F Dorian: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭, F

Here are the notes for the F Dorian scale.

F Dorian Scales

Here are the notes for the F Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the F Dorian Scale

Listen to the F Dorian Scale here:

F# Dorian

Here are the notes in F# Dorian: F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E, F#

Here are the notes for the F# Dorian scale.

F# Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the F# dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the F# Dorian Scale

Listen to the F# Dorian here:

G Dorian

Here are the notes in G Dorian: G, A, B♭, C, D, E, F, G

Here are the notes of the G Dorian scale.

G Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the G Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the G Dorian Scale

Listen to the G Dorian here:

A♭ Dorian/ G# Dorian

Here are the notes for A♭ Dorian: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭

Here are the notes of the A flat Dorian scale on the music staff or music stave. Note that A flat dorian and G# dorian are enharmonic to each other.

A♭ Dorian Scale

G# Dorian is enharmonic to A♭ Dorian, and the notes in the scales are also enharmonic to that of A♭ Dorian.

Here are the notes in G# Dorian: G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#.

Here are the notes of the G# flat Dorian scale on the music staff or music stave. Note that A flat dorian and G# dorian are enharmonic to each other.

G# Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the A flat Dorian scale or G# dorian scale on the piano. Note that A flat dorian and G# dorian are enharmonic to each other.

Notes in the A♭ or G# Dorian Scale

Listen to the A♭ or G# Dorian Scale here:

A Dorian

Here are the notes for A Dorian: A, B, C, D, E, F#, G, A.

Here are the notes of the A Dorian scale on the music stave or music staff.

A Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the A Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the A Dorian Scale

Listen to the A Dorian Scale here:

B♭ Dorian

Here are the notes for B♭ Dorian Scale: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭.

Here are the notes of the B flat Dorian scale on the music staff or music stave. Note that A# dorian and B flat dorian are enharmonic to each other.

B♭ Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the A# Dorian scale or B flat dorian scale on the piano. Note that A# dorian and B flat dorian are enharmonic to each other.

Notes in the B♭ Dorian Scale

Listen to the B♭ Dorian Scale here:

B Dorian

Here are the notes in the B Dorian Scale: B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B

Here are the notes of the B Dorian scale on the music stave or music staff.

B Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the B Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the B Dorian Scale

Listen to the B Dorian Scale here:

C Dorian

Here are the notes in the C Dorian scale: C, D, E♭, F, G, A, B♭, C

Here are the notes of the C Dorian scale on the music stave or music staff.

C Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the C Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the C Dorian Scale

Listen to the C Dorian Scale here:

C# Dorian

Here are the notes in the C# Dorian scale: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B, C#

Here are the notes of the C# Dorian scale on the music stave or music staff.

C# Dorian Scale

Here are the notes of the C# Dorian scale on the piano.

Notes in the C# Dorian Scale

Listen to the C# Dorian Scale here:

Listen to the Dorian Scale

Listening to scales help us understand and identify the feel of the Dorian mode better.

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