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

EBGDAE357912FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭GA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGE♭FGA♭B♭CD♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭
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 1frets 1–6
EBGDAE357FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭
Pattern 2frets 3–8
EBGDAE3579GA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭C
Pattern 3frets 4–9
EBGDAE579A♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭
Pattern 4frets 6–11
EBGDAE7912B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭
Pattern 5frets 8–13
EBGDAE9121314CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭F
Pattern 6frets 9–15
EBGDAE91213141516D♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FG
Pattern 7frets 11–16
EBGDAE121314151617E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭

Quartal voicings

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

All voicings
EBGDAE3FB♭E♭A♭
F root
EBGDAE3B♭E♭A♭D♭
Bb root
EBGDAE35FB♭E♭A♭
F root
EBGDAE35GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE35CFB♭E♭
C root
EBGDAE57GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE79B♭E♭A♭D♭
Bb root
EBGDAE9FB♭E♭A♭
F root
EBGDAE9B♭E♭A♭D♭
Bb root
EBGDAE9CFB♭E♭
C root
EBGDAE1213GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE1213CFB♭E♭
C root

Diagrams

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

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