F Dorian

Soulful, minor but with hope — built from E♭ major

PARENT FAMILY · E♭ MAJ

All 7 modes share the same parent scale (E♭ major). F Dorian is the II mode.

#	Mode	Diatonic chords	Mood
I	E♭ Ionian	E♭maj7 – Fm7 – Gm7 – A♭maj7 – B♭7 – Cm7 – Dm7♭5	Happy, bright, resolved
II	F Dorian	Fm7 – Gm7 – A♭maj7 – B♭7 – Cm7 – Dm7♭5 – E♭maj7	Soulful, minor but with hope
III	G Phrygian	Gm7 – G♯maj7 – A♯7 – Cm7 – Dm7♭5 – D♯maj7 – Fm7	Dark, tense, Spanish/flamenco
IV	A♭ Lydian	A♭maj7 – B♭7 – Cm7 – Dm7♭5 – E♭maj7 – Fm7 – Gm7	Dreamy, floating, ethereal
V	B♭ Mixolydian	B♭7 – Cm7 – Dm7♭5 – E♭maj7 – Fm7 – Gm7 – A♭maj7	Bluesy, dominant, rock
VI	C Aeolian	Cm7 – Dm7♭5 – D♯maj7 – Fm7 – Gm7 – G♯maj7 – A♯7	Melancholic, natural minor
VII	D Locrian	Dm7♭5 – D♯maj7 – Fm7 – Gm7 – G♯maj7 – A♯7 – Cm7	Unstable, tense, dissonant

SCALE · 7 NOTES · 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7

F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭

Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7

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

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

DIATONIC 7ths · CHORD PAD

I

Fm7

II

Gm7

III

A♭maj7

IV

B♭7

V

Cm7

VI

Dm7♭5

VII

E♭maj7

▸ Play F Dorian over Fm7 and B♭7 progressions.

FRETBOARD · STANDARD TUNING · 15F● LIVE

CHARACTER · SOULFUL, MINOR BUT WITH HOPE

SOULFUL, MINOR BUT WITH HOPE

F Dorian is a minor mode with a soulful, minor but with hope character. It is the II mode of E♭ major — it uses the same 7 notes as E♭ Ionian but is rooted on F, which shifts the harmonic focus and creates a completely different sound. The tonic chord is Fm7.

Where to use F 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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