D# Dorian Mode
Minor scale with major 6th - jazzy sound
What is the D# Dorian Mode?
Dorian is the second mode of the major scale — the major scale started from its 2nd degree. Compared to natural minor, Dorian raises the 6th by a half step, which gives it a brighter, more hopeful color than ordinary minor. The pattern is W-H-W-W-W-H-W. Dorian is the standard 'minor' mode of jazz, funk, modal rock and a huge swath of folk music.
Notes in the scale: D# – F – F# – G# – A# – C – C#
Intervals: Root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7 (measured from the root)
Parent key: C# major — shares the same seven notes
Progressions where the D# Dorian Mode fits
i-IV (Dorian vamp) — in D# Dorian
D#m → G#
i-IV-i-V (modal) — in D# Dorian
D#m → G# → D#m → A#
When to use the D# Dorian Mode
D# Dorian Mode draws its notes from C# major, starting on D#. Use Dorian over any minor groove that has a major IV chord — that major IV is the giveaway that Dorian fits and natural minor doesn't (Dorian's raised 6th is the 3rd of the IV chord). Examples: 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Scarborough Fair', 'Oye Como Va', 'So What' (Miles Davis). Dorian is also the modal home of jazz-funk and Latin minor vamps.
Blues Improvisation
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Practice with Improvisio
See how the D# Dorian Mode works over chord progressions.
Try it in the trainer