E♭ Dorian mode on guitar
The E♭ Dorian mode has seven notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D♭ (1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7). A minor scale with a major 6th, which keeps it from sounding sad. The sound of minor funk, soul and jazz: play it over a m7 chord or a two-chord vamp like Am7 to D.
| Note | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ | B♭ | C | D♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | whole | half | whole | whole | whole | half | whole |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the E♭ Dorian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; E♭ (E♭m) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (E♭) | E♭mhome | E♭m7home |
| 2 (F) | Fmcolour | Fm7colour |
| ♭3 (G♭) | G♭daylight | G♭maj7daylight |
| 4 (A♭) | A♭the door | A♭7the door |
| 5 (B♭) | B♭msoft fall | B♭m7soft fall |
| 6 (C) | Cdimthe edge | Cm7♭5the edge |
| ♭7 (D♭) | D♭heroic | D♭maj7heroic |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the D♭ major scale, started from its second note, E♭.
Questions
What notes are in the E♭ Dorian mode?
E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D♭. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are W H W W W H W (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the E♭ Dorian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m, Cdim and D♭, and as seventh chords E♭m7, Fm7, G♭maj7, A♭7, B♭m7, Cm7♭5 and D♭maj7. E♭ is home: E♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Dorian mode in every key
Other scales in E♭
E♭ majorE♭ minorE♭ minor pentatonicE♭ major pentatonicE♭ bluesE♭ MixolydianE♭ LydianE♭ PhrygianE♭ harmonic minorE♭ melodic minorE♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.