Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale

B flat Dorian Mode

Minor but hopeful and cool. The natural sixth lifts the darkness of the minor third and gives it a soulful, slightly jazzy or Celtic flavour.

7 notes
4 ♭
mode

1Composition: what it contains

B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A♭

Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Steps: W – H – W – W – W – H – W
Number of notes: 7
Sharps and flats: 4 ♭
Also called: second mode of the major scale, Russian minor

Degree	Note	Interval	Semitones	Function
1	B♭	unison	0	tonic
2	C	major second	2	supertonic
♭3	D♭	minor third	3	mediant
4	E♭	perfect fourth	5	subdominant
5	F	perfect fifth	7	dominant
6	G	major sixth	9	submediant
♭7	A♭	minor seventh	10	subtonic

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

Treble clef

Bass clef

Piano keyboard

Guitar (standard tuning E A D G B E)

Bass guitar (E A D G)

Ukulele (G C E A)

Tip: click any note, key or fret to hear it. Orange = root.

3Indications: what it is used for

The go-to scale for minor seventh chords in jazz, funk, soul, fusion and modal rock. It fits the ii chord in a ii–V–I, static minor vamps, the i–IV (minor to major four) progression that defines the mode, and one-chord grooves with a minor seventh or minor ninth sound. Celtic and folk melodies often use it, as do many blues-rock solos that add the sixth to the minor pentatonic. It is the second mode of the major scale, starting on the second degree.

4Dosage: how to practise it

Ten minutes daily over a backing loop of the minor i chord moving to the major IV chord at 80–100 BPM. Emphasise the sixth degree on strong beats to hear the mode's colour. Practise the scale in groups of three and four, and in diatonic thirds, two octaves. On guitar, add degrees 2 and 6 to the minor pentatonic shapes and slide between positions on one string. On bass, build sixteenth-note funk lines from the root, fifth, seventh and sixth. On piano, voice the tonic chord with root, minor seventh, minor third, natural sixth/thirteenth to hear the colour.

5Warnings and common mistakes

Do not call it 'just the major scale from another note': that thinking hides the tonal centre and your solos will sound aimless. Its natural sixth can clash with a minor chord that has a flat sixth in the melody or harmony, so check whether the song is really Aeolian. Over a tonic minor chord at a cadence the sixth may sound unresolved if held too long. Do not confuse it with melodic minor, which has a major seventh.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Chords of the scale (triads)

Degree	Chord	Notes
i	B♭m	B♭ – D♭ – F
ii	Cm	C – E♭ – G
♭III	D♭	D♭ – F – A♭
IV	E♭	E♭ – G – B♭
v	Fm	F – A♭ – C
vi°	Gdim	G – B♭ – D♭
♭VII	A♭	A♭ – C – E♭

Chords of the scale (seventh chords)

Degree	Chord	Notes
i7	B♭m7	B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭
ii7	Cm7	C – E♭ – G – B♭
♭IIImaj7	D♭maj7	D♭ – F – A♭ – C
IV7	E♭7	E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭
v7	Fm7	F – A♭ – C – E♭
viø7	Gm7♭5	G – B♭ – D♭ – F
♭VIImaj7	A♭maj7	A♭ – C – E♭ – G

Same notes, different starting point

Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.

B flat Dorian Mode

1Composition: what it contains

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

3Indications: what it is used for

4Dosage: how to practise it

5Warnings and common mistakes

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Chords of the scale (triads)

Chords of the scale (seventh chords)

Same notes, different starting point

7Other presentations available

The same scale from every note

Other scales from the same note