G Dorian Scale

G dorian

Notes

G · A · B♭ · C · D · E · F

Intervals

  • RootG (1P)
  • Major 2ndA (2M)
  • Minor 3rdB♭ (3m)
  • Perfect 4thC (4P)
  • Perfect 5thD (5P)
  • Major 6thE (6M)
  • Minor 7thF (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EFGAB♭CDECDEFGAB♭GAB♭CDEFGDEFGAB♭CDAB♭CDEFGAEFGAB♭CDE
Open in visualizer →

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

Modal character

G Dorian is the 2nd mode of F 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
EBGDAE35EFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭CDEFGA
Pattern 2frets 1–6
EBGDAE357FGAB♭CDEFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭
Pattern 3frets 3–8
EBGDAE3579GAB♭CDEFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭C
Pattern 4frets 5–10
EBGDAE579AB♭CDEFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭CD
Pattern 5frets 6–12
EBGDAE791213B♭CDEFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭CDE
Pattern 6frets 8–13
EBGDAE9121314CDEFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭CDEF
Pattern 7frets 10–15
EBGDAE1213141516DEFGAB♭CDEFGAB♭CDEFG

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
EBGDAE35GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE57DGCF
D root
EBGDAE35EADG
E root
EBGDAE57ADGC
A root
EBGDAE79EADG
E root
EBGDAE57GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE1213DGCF
D root
EBGDAE1213GCFB♭
G root
EBGDAE79ADGC
A root

Diagrams

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

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