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The Dorian Mode

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This course is a detailed study of the second mode of the major scale –the Dorian mode. This is one of the most important modes to learn and is widely used in all styles of music. The Dorian is a minor mode, meaning that it is typically used with minor chords. This course will initially cover the difference between the Dorian mode and the natural minor scale.

As we did with the major and minor scales, we'll first learn to play it all over the fingerboard using the 'content over patterns' system, after which we will study a series of grooves that showcase the mode in action. The first few grooves will be in the key of C (and will therefore use the D Dorian mode), then there will be some grooves which use the Dorian mode in other keys. By the end of this course you should be very familiar with the sound of the Dorian mode and will be well-placed to begin using it in your own lines and compositions.

As you work through this material, you might find the following courses useful (all included in the monthly subscription cost):

Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get the PDF worksheet and audio files for this piece (available to subscribers only).

This course is 58 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:

1. Introduction to the Dorian Mode

This video covers the basic theory behind the modes (a much-misunderstood topic) and explains how they are built, and how they are used.

2. Playing the Dorian Mode

This lesson will get you playing the D Dorian mode all over the fingerboard. Here, the focus will be on the notes themselves, not on any restrictive fretboard patterns.

3. Exercise #1

This exercise is a rock riff. This is a simple line that ascends through the mode in the first two bars, culminating in a long turn-around figure.

4. Exercise #2

This is a rock bassline that very clearly outlines the sound of the mode. This line was recorded with a pick but works just as well with the fingerstyle technique.

5. Exercise #3

This exercise is a busy, sixteenth note-based line with some heavily syncopated figures. Power chords are put to use in the fourth bar of the sequence.

6. Exercise #4

This is a slow-tempo line that crosses all four strings. This is a great exercise for playing and absorbing the sound of the Dorian mode.

7. Exercise #5

This exercise is a slap and pop groove that uses some major tenth figures as well as some Marcus Miller-style sliding octave lines.

8. Exercise #6

This exercise uses the A Dorian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G-A), from the home key of G major. This is a funk groove that features a tricky fill in the fourth bar.

9. Exercise #7

This rock bassline uses the F Dorian mode (F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D-Eb-F), from the home key of Eb major. The phrase in the final bar ascends through the mode.

10. Exercise #8

This is a Latin-style groove that uses the G Dorian mode (G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F-G). The fills highlight the sound of the mode – specifically, the minor third and natural sixth.

11. Exercise #9

This bassline uses the A Dorian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G-A), from the home key of G major. The fill in the fourth bar really explores the sound of the mode.

12. Exercise #10

This exercise uses the E Dorian mode (E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D-E), from the home key of D major. Notes that fall on the second half of the fourth beat are crucial to the feel.