B Dorian Scale

B dorian

Notes

B · C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A

Intervals

  • RootB (1P)
  • Major 2ndC♯ (2M)
  • Minor 3rdD (3m)
  • Perfect 4thE (4P)
  • Perfect 5thF♯ (5P)
  • Major 6thG♯ (6M)
  • Minor 7thA (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EF♯G♯ABC♯DEBC♯DEF♯G♯ABG♯ABC♯DEF♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DABC♯DEF♯G♯AEF♯G♯ABC♯DE
Open in visualizer →

Adjust labels, frets, and palette in the interactive view.

Modal character

B Dorian is the 2nd mode of A Major — the same seven notes started from its 2nd degree.

1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7

Characteristic note — natural 6th (♮6). The natural 6th is what separates Dorian from the natural minor scale, lending a brighter, jazzier color to an otherwise minor sound.

Dorian lives over minor 7th chords (m7, m9, m11) and especially m6 and m13, where the natural 6th is a chord tone. It is the go-to sound for minor-key vamps and modal grooves, and the mode of the ii chord in a major ii–V–I.

Chords that use this mode

3-Notes-Per-String positions

Seven movable patterns, each covering all 6 strings with 3 consecutive scale tones per string. Root notes are shown in red.

All 7 patterns
Pattern 1open · frets 0–5
EBGDAE35EF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯A
Pattern 2frets 2–7
EBGDAE357F♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯AB
Pattern 3frets 4–9
EBGDAE579G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯
Pattern 4frets 5–10
EBGDAE579ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯D
Pattern 5frets 7–12
EBGDAE791213BC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DE
Pattern 6frets 9–14
EBGDAE912131415C♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯
Pattern 7frets 10–16
EBGDAE121314151617DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯ABC♯DEF♯G♯

Quartal voicings

Stacked perfect 4ths across four adjacent strings, sorted nut to heel. Root notes are circled in red.

All voicings
EBGDAE35F♯BEA
F# root
EBGDAE35BEAD
B root
EBGDAE57F♯BEA
F# root
EBGDAE57G♯C♯F♯B
G# root
EBGDAE57C♯F♯BE
C# root
EBGDAE79G♯C♯F♯B
G# root
EBGDAE79BEAD
B root
EBGDAE912F♯BEA
F# root
EBGDAE912BEAD
B root
EBGDAE912C♯F♯BE
C# root
EBGDAE121314G♯C♯F♯B
G# root
EBGDAE121314C♯F♯BE
C# root

Diagrams

B Dorian Scale fretboard charts — tap any diagram to open it full size to save or print.

B Dorian Scale — notes B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A shown across the full guitar fretboard, frets 0 to 12.
Whole neck — frets 0–12
B Dorian Scale — seven 3-notes-per-string positions shown as fretboard neck slices.
Seven 3NPS positions
B Dorian Scale — quartal voicings shown as chord-box diagrams for all four roots.
Quartal voicings — 3 string sets, sorted nut to heel