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Scale · 7 notes

E♭ Dorian ♭2 Scale

E♭ Dorian ♭2 is a 7-note scale with the notes E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭. It sounds the second mode of melodic minor: Dorian with a flat 2nd, dark and exotic, used over sus♭9 chords.

CF♭D♭E♭G♭A♭B♭

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

On the fretboard

Every E♭ dorian ♭2 note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CE♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭

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

Notes in the E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale

DegreeNoteName
1E♭Tonic
♭2F♭Supertonic
♭3G♭Mediant
4A♭Subdominant
5B♭Dominant
6CSubmediant
♭7D♭Subtonic

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

E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is H – W – 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 E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale

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

DegreeTriad7th chord
iE♭mE♭m7
II+F♭+F♭7♯5
IIIG♭G♭7
IVA♭A♭7
v°B♭°B♭ø7
vi°C°Cø7
viiD♭mD♭m(maj7)

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

How to practise the E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale

Learn it as a rotation of a scale you already know (lydian dominant is melodic minor starting on its 4th note, altered starts on its 7th) and play it over the matching chord with a drone on the root.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale?

The notes of the E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale are E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭.

What is the formula for the E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is H – W – 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 E♭ Dorian ♭2 scale?

Built from the scale in triads: E♭m, F♭+, G♭, A♭, B♭°, C°, D♭m.

More E♭ scales

E♭ Major, E♭ Natural Minor, E♭ Harmonic Minor, E♭ Melodic Minor, E♭ Dorian, E♭ Phrygian, E♭ Lydian, E♭ Mixolydian, E♭ Major Pentatonic, E♭ Minor Pentatonic, E♭ Lydian Dominant, E♭ Whole Tone, E♭ Lydian Augmented, E♭ Mixolydian ♭6, E♭ Phrygian Dominant, E♭ Hungarian Minor, E♭ Double Harmonic, E♭ Diminished (H–W), E♭ Bebop Dominant, E♭ 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.