Formula
- Degrees: 1 2 b3 #4 5 6 b7.
- Steps: W H 1½ H W H W (2 1 3 1 2 1 2 semitones).
- Parent scale: 4th mode of harmonic minor. D Dorian #4 = notes of A harmonic minor from D: D E F G# A B C.
- On A: A B C D# E F# G (from E harmonic minor). On C: C D Eb F# G A Bb (from G harmonic minor).
Alternative names: Ukrainian Dorian, Romanian minor, misheberakh (from the name of the Jewish prayer Mi Sheberach, in klezmer music), “altered Dorian”, Dorian #11.
Characteristic note and color
It is Dorian with the augmented 4th: the augmented 2nd between the b3 and the #4 (F – G# in D) gives a plaintive, folk, Eastern European color, both sad and fiery. It is the sound of the Romanian doina, of much klezmer and of traditional Ukrainian and Greek music.
Diatonic chords (C Dorian #4)
| Degree | Triad | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm7 |
| II | D | D7 |
| bIII | Eb | Ebmaj7 |
| #iv° | F#° | F#°7 |
| v | Gm | Gm(maj7) |
| vi° | A° | Aø7 |
| bVII+ | Bb+ | Bbmaj7#5 |
Characteristic gesture: i – II7 (Cm – D7, or Dm – E7 in D Dorian #4). The II7 contains the #4 as its third (F# in D7 over C): it is a “dominant of the dominant” that does not resolve, but returns to the i. i – #iv°7 – i is also typical.
Use in genres
- Klezmer: the misheberakh mode is one of the main modes (together with the freygish, i.e. Phrygian dominant). Melodies ornamented with trills, krekhts (sobs) and clarinet and violin glissandi.
- Romanian and Moldavian folk: doina and hora, often over a drone.
- Traditional Ukrainian and Balkan music.
- Greek music: the Pireotikos/Nikriz mode of the rebetiko traditions is related (with differences of tradition and intonation).
- Jazz and fusion: as a minor color with a #11 over an m7 or m6 chord (Cm6(#11)).
- Film music: to evoke Eastern Europe, the Ashkenazi Jewish world, Romani-flavored settings.
Relation to the maqam
Dorian #4 corresponds roughly to the Nikriz maqam of Arabic and Turkish music (jins Nikriz on the tonic: 1 2 b3 #4 5), although maqams have their own intonations and melodic paths.
Melodies
- Phrases revolve around b3 – #4 – 5 (F – G# – A in D) and descend 6 – 5 – #4 – b3 – 2 – 1.
- In klezmer the #4 is often a neighbor tone of the 5th, ornamented with trills.
Common mistakes
- Using the perfect 4th: you are back to normal Dorian.
- Thinking it is “exotic” in the absolute: in the traditions of origin it is the basic mode of many folk melodies, with its own repertoire of formulas.
- Harmonizing it with a classical V7: the mode has a minor v; the typical “dominant” is the II7.
Exercise
- A D drone (cello or organ) and a slow doina-style melody in D Dorian #4, with ornaments.
- Vamp Dm – E7 – Dm in 2/4 in the klezmer manner, with a clarinet (or a similar synth) in D Dorian #4.
- Compare the same phrase with G and with G#.
Connections
Harmonic minor and its modes; Dorian mode; Phrygian dominant; Maqam: introduction; Hungarian scales; Ornaments.