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Scale · 7 notes

B♭ Dorian Scale

B♭ Dorian is a 7-note scale with the notes B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭. It sounds minor with a bright raised 6th, cool and groovy, common in funk, rock and jazz.

CFGD♭E♭A♭B♭

Purple = B♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every B♭ dorian note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGB♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CE♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭FG

Blue = B♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the B♭ Dorian scale

DegreeNoteName
1B♭Tonic
2CSupertonic
♭3D♭Mediant
4E♭Subdominant
5FDominant
6GSubmediant
♭7A♭Subtonic

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭.

B♭ Dorian scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – H – W – W – W – H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7.

Chords in the B♭ Dorian scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
iB♭mB♭m7
iiCmCm7
IIID♭D♭maj7
IVE♭E♭7
vFmFm7
vi°G°Gø7
VIIA♭A♭maj7

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

Related scales

  • Parent major scale: A♭ Major, which has exactly the same notes as B♭ Dorian.

How to practise the B♭ Dorian scale

Learn each mode by its characteristic note: the one that makes it different from the major or minor scale it most resembles. Play a drone on the tonic while you play the scale to hear its colour.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the B♭ Dorian scale?

The notes of the B♭ Dorian scale are B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭.

What is the formula for the B♭ Dorian scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – H – W – W – W – H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7.

What chords are in the B♭ Dorian scale?

Built from the scale in triads: B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm, G°, A♭.

More B♭ scales

B♭ Major, B♭ Natural Minor, B♭ Harmonic Minor, B♭ Melodic Minor, B♭ Phrygian, B♭ Lydian, B♭ Mixolydian, B♭ Locrian, B♭ Major Pentatonic, B♭ Minor Pentatonic, B♭ Blues, B♭ Lydian Dominant, B♭ Whole Tone, B♭ Dorian ♭2, B♭ Lydian Augmented, B♭ Mixolydian ♭6, B♭ Locrian ♯2, B♭ Phrygian Dominant, B♭ Hungarian Minor, B♭ Double Harmonic, B♭ Diminished (W–H), B♭ Diminished (H–W), B♭ Bebop Dominant, B♭ Bebop Major

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.