The Dorian Mode
The Dorian mode is a minor mode with one bright note in it. On the white keys it runs from D to D, the notes of C major with D as home. Compared with the natural minor scale on the same note, only the 6th changes: it’s raised a half step.
The Dorian mode on every note
D Dorian
LH Fingering: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
A Dorian
LH Fingering: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
E Dorian
LH Fingering: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
B Dorian
LH Fingering: 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4
F-sharp Dorian
LH Fingering: 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4
C-sharp Dorian
LH Fingering: 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3
G-sharp Dorian
LH Fingering: 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3
E-flat Dorian
LH Fingering: 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2
B-flat Dorian
LH Fingering: 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2
F Dorian
LH Fingering: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
C Dorian
LH Fingering: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
G Dorian
LH Fingering: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
What gives the Dorian mode its sound
The minor 3rd keeps Dorian clearly minor, but the raised 6th lifts the upper half of the scale. Where the natural minor sinks toward its lowered 6th, Dorian stays more open, closer to serene than sad.
Listening for that one note is the quickest way to tell Dorian from the natural minor. Try playing D natural minor and then D Dorian, and notice what happens at the 6th, B-flat in one and B in the other.
Finding Dorian on any note
There are two ways to find Dorian on any note. The first starts from a major scale: Dorian is the major scale played from its 2nd note, so D Dorian uses the notes of C major and E Dorian the notes of D major. The second starts from the natural minor on the same note and raises its 6th: D natural minor with B instead of B-flat.
The first tells us the notes, the key signature and the fingering. The second tells us how it sounds.
Where Dorian is heard
Dorian is the first of the church modes, and a great deal of Gregorian chant is written in it. It also turns up in many folk songs from the British Isles: “Scarborough Fair” is a well-known example, and “What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor” is another.
More about the modes: