D Dorian Scale

D dorian

Notes

D · E · F · G · A · B · C

Intervals

  • RootD (1P)
  • Major 2ndE (2M)
  • Minor 3rdF (3m)
  • Perfect 4thG (4P)
  • Perfect 5thA (5P)
  • Major 6thB (6M)
  • Minor 7thC (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EFGABCDEBCDEFGABGABCDEFGDEFGABCDABCDEFGAEFGABCDE
Open in visualizer →

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

Modal character

D Dorian is the 2nd mode of C 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
EBGDAE35EFGABCDEFGABCDEFGA
Pattern 2frets 1–7
EBGDAE357FGABCDEFGABCDEFGAB
Pattern 3frets 3–8
EBGDAE3579GABCDEFGABCDEFGABC
Pattern 4frets 5–10
EBGDAE579ABCDEFGABCDEFGABCD
Pattern 5frets 7–12
EBGDAE791213BCDEFGABCDEFGABCDE
Pattern 6frets 8–13
EBGDAE9121314CDEFGABCDEFGABCDEF
Pattern 7frets 10–15
EBGDAE1213141516DEFGABCDEFGABCDEFG

Quartal voicings

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

All voicings
EBGDAE3EADG
E root
EBGDAE3ADGC
A root
EBGDAE3DGCF
D root
EBGDAE57ADGC
A root
EBGDAE35BEAD
B root
EBGDAE35EADG
E root
EBGDAE79BEAD
B root
EBGDAE57DGCF
D root
EBGDAE79ADGC
A root
EBGDAE1213DGCF
D root
EBGDAE79EADG
E root
EBGDAE912BEAD
B root

Diagrams

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

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