C Dorian mode
C Dorian mode is C – D – E♭ – F – G – A – B♭, with E♭ and B♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
Notes and steps
The step pattern is W H W W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D–E♭ and A–B♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | |
| 2 | D | major second | |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | A | major sixth | |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor seventh |
The sound of C Dorian mode
Dorian is a minor mode with a raised 6th. That one bright note (A) takes the sadness out of minor and gives the funky, soulful sound of a lot of rock, funk and modal jazz.
Play Cm and F back and forth and improvise with these notes; that major F is what separates Dorian from plain minor.
Compared with C natural minor scale, C Dorian mode has A where the other has A♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear C natural minor scale and compare.
C Dorian mode uses the same seven notes as B♭ major, starting from C instead of B♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Dorian is playing it over a C bass or chord.
Playing C Dorian
E♭ and B♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 8th fret of the low E string and spans frets 6–12: 17 notes, 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 C Dorian mode; the ones that differ from the B♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
C Dorian mode shares all its notes with D Phrygian (starting on the 2nd note, D), E♭ Lydian (starting on the 3rd note, E♭), F Mixolydian (starting on the 4th note, F), G natural minor (starting on the 5th note, G), A Locrian (starting on the 6th note, A) and B♭ major (starting on the 7th note, B♭). Which one you hear depends on which note the music treats as home.
C Dorian mode across the fretboard
Find C first: fret 8 of the 6th string, fret 3 and 15 of the 5th. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10) and you'll have it everywhere. Over a minor chord, play natural minor first, then raise the 6th to hear Dorian lift the sound.
On the piano, C Dorian mode uses 2 black keys (E♭ and B♭) and 5 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A, G–B♭, A–C, B♭–D.
Drills for C Dorian
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside C Dorian mode.
- Up in threes: C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A · G A B♭ · A B♭ C.
- Land on A: C A C A C: the natural 6th lifts it above natural minor.
Close relatives of C Dorian mode
Dorian mode in every key
C Dorian mode: questions
What are the notes of the C Dorian mode?
C, D, E♭, F, G, A and B♭, then C again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the C Dorian mode?
Two: E♭ and B♭.
What chords are in the C Dorian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Cm (i), Dm (ii), E♭ (III), F (IV), Gm (v), Adim (vi°) and B♭ (VII).
What's the difference between C Dorian mode and C natural minor scale?
A in C Dorian; A♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as C Dorian mode?
B♭ major. C Dorian is B♭ major played from its 2nd note, C.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.