Mode guide
Dorian Mode: formula, chords, and sound
Dorian is a minor mode with a major sixth. Learn its formula, hear D Dorian, and use the B natural that separates it from ordinary D minor.
The short answer
Dorian Mode is minor with a lifted sixth
Dorian differs from natural minor by one note: the sixth is major instead of minor. In D, that means B natural instead of B♭.
- Example tonic
- D
- Home chord
- D minor
- Characteristic degree
- major 6th
01
Hear D Dorian
The B natural sounds most clearly over the G major chord. Moving between Dm and G puts the characteristic sixth in the foreground. The characteristic note in this example is B.
D Dorian scale
D – E – F – G – A – B – C – D
Sound loads when you first play.
02
Diatonic triads
These seven chords use only notes from the mode. The first chord is the tonal home.
| 1 | 2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ♭7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim | C |
03
Practice loop: i–IV–i
This is a listening exercise, not a claim about the most common progression. Keep returning your ear to D minor.
Dm – G – Dm
i–IV–i in D Dorian.
Sound loads when you first play.
How to make the mode sound clear
- Hold B over a Dm chord.
- Alternate Dm and G without resolving to C.
- Compare B with B♭ to hear Dorian become Aeolian.