A♯ Dorian

Soulful, minor but with hope — built from G♯ major

PARENT FAMILY · G♯ MAJ

All 7 modes share the same parent scale (G♯ major). A♯ Dorian is the II mode.

#	Mode	Diatonic chords	Mood
I	G♯ Ionian	G♯maj7 – A♯m7 – Cm7 – C♯maj7 – D♯7 – Fm7 – Gm7♭5	Happy, bright, resolved
II	A♯ Dorian	A♯m7 – Cm7 – C♯maj7 – D♯7 – Fm7 – Gm7♭5 – G♯maj7	Soulful, minor but with hope
III	C Phrygian	Cm7 – C♯maj7 – D♯7 – Fm7 – Gm7♭5 – G♯maj7 – A♯m7	Dark, tense, Spanish/flamenco
IV	C♯ Lydian	C♯maj7 – D♯7 – Fm7 – Gm7♭5 – G♯maj7 – A♯m7 – Cm7	Dreamy, floating, ethereal
V	D♯ Mixolydian	D♯7 – Fm7 – Gm7♭5 – G♯maj7 – A♯m7 – Cm7 – C♯maj7	Bluesy, dominant, rock
VI	F Aeolian	Fm7 – Gm7♭5 – A♭maj7 – B♭m7 – Cm7 – D♭maj7 – E♭7	Melancholic, natural minor
VII	G Locrian	Gm7♭5 – G♯maj7 – A♯m7 – Cm7 – C♯maj7 – D♯7 – Fm7	Unstable, tense, dissonant

SCALE · 7 NOTES · 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7

A♯ C C♯ D♯ F G G♯

Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7

The Dorian scale on A♯ contains the notes A♯, C, C♯, D♯, F, G, G♯. The pentatonic subset is A♯, C, D♯, F, G♯.

Characteristic note: the natural 6th separates Dorian from the minor (Aeolian).

DIATONIC 7ths · CHORD PAD

I

A♯m7

II

Cm7

III

C♯maj7

IV

D♯7

V

Fm7

VI

Gm7♭5

VII

G♯maj7

▸ Play A♯ Dorian over A♯m7 and D♯7 progressions.

FRETBOARD · STANDARD TUNING · 15F● LIVE

CHARACTER · SOULFUL, MINOR BUT WITH HOPE

SOULFUL, MINOR BUT WITH HOPE

A♯ Dorian is a minor mode with a soulful, minor but with hope character. It is the II mode of G♯ major — it uses the same 7 notes as G♯ Ionian but is rooted on A♯, which shifts the harmonic focus and creates a completely different sound. The tonic chord is A♯m7.

Where to use A♯ Dorian

Jazz, blues-rock, funk, Latin.

Famous examples

So What (Miles Davis)
Oye Como Va
Scarborough Fair

What makes it distinctive: the natural 6th separates Dorian from the minor (Aeolian).

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