B♭ Dorian mode (A♯ Dorian)
B♭ Dorian mode is B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A♭, with B♭, D♭, E♭ and A♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
The notes, one step at a time
Counted in steps it goes W H W W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between C–D♭ and G–A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | |
| 2 | C | major second | |
| ♭3 | D♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | E♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | F | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | G | major sixth | |
| ♭7 | A♭ | minor seventh |
How the Dorian mode sounds
Compared with B♭ natural minor, B♭ Dorian raises one note: the 6th, to G. That's the note to lean on if you want the mode to sound like itself.
The Dorian vamp is B♭m to E♭: a minor chord going to a major IV, which only happens because of the raised 6th (G).
Compared with B♭ natural minor scale, B♭ Dorian mode has G where the other has G♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear B♭ natural minor scale and compare.
B♭ Dorian mode uses the same seven notes as A♭ major, starting from B♭ instead of A♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Dorian is playing it over a B♭ bass or chord.
On piano and on guitar
On the piano it uses four black keys (B♭, D♭, E♭ and A♭) and three white.
17 notes fit in the box between frets 4 and 10, with B♭ at the 6th fret of the low E string.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit B♭ Dorian mode; the ones that differ from the A♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know B♭ Dorian mode, you already know the notes of C Phrygian (starting on the 2nd note, C), D♭ Lydian (starting on the 3rd note, D♭), E♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 4th note, E♭), F natural minor (starting on the 5th note, F), G Locrian (starting on the 6th note, G) and A♭ major (starting on the 7th note, A♭).
Finding B♭ Dorian on the neck
Find B♭ first: fret 6 of the 6th string, fret 1 and 13 of the 5th. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 11. Over a minor chord, play natural minor first, then raise the 6th to hear Dorian lift the sound.
On the piano, B♭ Dorian mode uses 4 black keys (B♭, D♭, E♭ and A♭) and 3 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's B♭–D♭, C–E♭, D♭–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B♭, A♭–C.
Drills for B♭ Dorian
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Three-note runs: B♭ C D♭ · C D♭ E♭ · D♭ E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭ · G A♭ B♭.
- Land on G: B♭ G B♭ G B♭: the natural 6th lifts it above natural minor.
Try next, from B♭
Dorian mode in every key
B♭ Dorian mode: questions
What are the notes of the B♭ Dorian mode?
7 notes: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G and A♭.
How many sharps or flats are in the B♭ Dorian mode?
Four: B♭, D♭, E♭ and A♭.
What chords are in the B♭ Dorian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives B♭m (i), Cm (ii), D♭ (III), E♭ (IV), Fm (v), Gdim (vi°) and A♭ (VII).
What's the difference between B♭ Dorian mode and B♭ natural minor scale?
G in B♭ Dorian; G♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as B♭ Dorian mode?
A♭ major. B♭ Dorian is A♭ major played from its 2nd note, B♭.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.