F Dorian mode
F Dorian mode is F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭, with A♭, B♭ and E♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
F Dorian mode, note by note
The step pattern is W H W W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between G–A♭ and D–E♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | root | |
| 2 | G | major second | |
| ♭3 | A♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | B♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | C | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | D | major sixth | |
| ♭7 | E♭ | minor seventh |
What F Dorian sounds like
Compared with F natural minor, F Dorian raises one note: the 6th, to D. That's the note to lean on if you want the mode to sound like itself.
The Dorian vamp is Fm to B♭: a minor chord going to a major IV, which only happens because of the raised 6th (D).
Compared with F natural minor scale, F Dorian mode has D where the other has D♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear F natural minor scale and compare.
F Dorian mode uses the same seven notes as E♭ major, starting from F instead of E♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Dorian is playing it over a F bass or chord.
Where your hands go
Keyboard players: three black (A♭, B♭ and E♭), four white.
On guitar the root sits at the 1st fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 0–5 and holds 17 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high.
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 F Dorian mode; the ones that differ from the E♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know F Dorian mode, you already know the notes of C natural minor (starting on the 5th note, C), D Locrian (starting on the 6th note, D), E♭ major (starting on the 7th note, E♭), G Phrygian (starting on the 2nd note, G), A♭ Lydian (starting on the 3rd note, A♭) and B♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 4th note, B♭).
Moving it around the guitar
The root, F, sits at frets 1 and 13 on the low E string and 8 on the A string. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10 on the low E string. Over a minor chord, play natural minor first, then raise the 6th to hear Dorian lift the sound.
On the piano, F Dorian mode uses 3 black keys (A♭, B♭ and E♭) and 4 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: F–A♭, G–B♭, A♭–C, B♭–D, C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, then back down.
Three ways to practise F Dorian
Once F Dorian is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Up in threes: F G A♭ · G A♭ B♭ · A♭ B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D E♭ · D E♭ F.
- Land on D: F D F D F: the natural 6th lifts it above natural minor.
Try next, from F
Dorian mode in every key
F Dorian mode: questions
What are the notes of the F Dorian mode?
F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭, F. As degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the F Dorian mode?
Three: A♭, B♭ and E♭.
What chords are in the F Dorian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Fm (i), Gm (ii), A♭ (III), B♭ (IV), Cm (v), Ddim (vi°) and E♭ (VII).
What's the difference between F Dorian mode and F natural minor scale?
D in F Dorian; D♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as F Dorian mode?
E♭ major. F Dorian is E♭ major played from its 2nd note, F.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.