C Dorian Scale

C dorian

Notes

C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭

Intervals

  • RootC (1P)
  • Major 2ndD (2M)
  • Minor 3rdE♭ (3m)
  • Perfect 4thF (4P)
  • Perfect 5thG (5P)
  • Major 6thA (6M)
  • Minor 7thB♭ (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912FGAB♭CDE♭CDE♭FGAB♭GAB♭CDE♭FGDE♭FGAB♭CDAB♭CDE♭FGAFGAB♭CDE♭
Open in visualizer →

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

Modal character

C Dorian is the 2nd mode of B♭ 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
EBGDAE357FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭
Pattern 2frets 3–8
EBGDAE3579GAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭C
Pattern 3frets 5–10
EBGDAE579AB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CD
Pattern 4frets 6–11
EBGDAE7912B♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭
Pattern 5frets 8–13
EBGDAE9121314CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭F
Pattern 6frets 10–15
EBGDAE1213141516DE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FG
Pattern 7frets 11–17
EBGDAE12131415161718E♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGAB♭CDE♭FGA

Quartal voicings

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

All voicings
EBGDAE35GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE3ADGC
A root
EBGDAE3DGCF
D root
EBGDAE57ADGC
A root
EBGDAE35CFB♭E♭
C root
EBGDAE57GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE9CFB♭E♭
C root
EBGDAE57DGCF
D root
EBGDAE79ADGC
A root
EBGDAE1213DGCF
D root
EBGDAE1213GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE1213CFB♭E♭
C root

Diagrams

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

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