E♭ Dorian mode (D♯ Dorian)
E♭ Dorian mode is E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭, with E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
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 F–G♭ and C–D♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from E♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | root | |
| 2 | F | major second | |
| ♭3 | G♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | A♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | B♭ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | C | major sixth | |
| ♭7 | D♭ | minor seventh |
How the Dorian mode sounds
Dorian is a minor mode with a raised 6th. That one bright note (C) takes the sadness out of minor and gives the funky, soulful sound of a lot of rock, funk and modal jazz.
Play E♭m and A♭ back and forth and improvise with these notes; that major A♭ is what separates Dorian from plain minor.
Compared with E♭ natural minor scale, E♭ Dorian mode has C where the other has C♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear E♭ natural minor scale and compare.
E♭ Dorian mode uses the same seven notes as D♭ major, starting from E♭ instead of D♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Dorian is playing it over a E♭ bass or chord.
On piano and on guitar
E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
On guitar the root sits at the 11th fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 9–15 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 E♭ Dorian mode; the ones that differ from the D♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know E♭ Dorian mode, you already know the notes of C Locrian (starting on the 6th note, C), D♭ major (starting on the 7th note, D♭), F Phrygian (starting on the 2nd note, F), G♭ Lydian (starting on the 3rd note, G♭), A♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 4th note, A♭) and B♭ natural minor (starting on the 5th note, B♭).
Moving it around the guitar
Anchor points for E♭: low E string fret 11, A string fret 6. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 1, 4, 6, 8 and 11 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, E♭ Dorian mode uses 5 black keys (E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭) and 2 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's E♭–G♭, F–A♭, G♭–B♭, A♭–C, B♭–D♭, C–E♭, D♭–F.
Practice patterns for E♭ Dorian mode
Once E♭ Dorian is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Three-note runs: E♭ F G♭ · F G♭ A♭ · G♭ A♭ B♭ · A♭ B♭ C · B♭ C D♭ · C D♭ E♭.
- Lean on C: E♭ C E♭ C E♭: the natural 6th lifts it above natural minor.
Close relatives of E♭ Dorian mode
Dorian mode in every key
E♭ Dorian mode: questions
What are the notes of the E♭ Dorian mode?
7 notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D♭.
How many sharps or flats are in the E♭ Dorian mode?
Five: E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭.
What chords are in the E♭ Dorian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives E♭m (i), Fm (ii), G♭ (III), A♭ (IV), B♭m (v), Cdim (vi°) and D♭ (VII).
What's the difference between E♭ Dorian mode and E♭ natural minor scale?
C in E♭ Dorian; C♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as E♭ Dorian mode?
D♭ major. E♭ Dorian is D♭ major played from its 2nd note, E♭.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.