The Dorian mode
D Dorian: D E F G A B C (formula 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7). It is a minor scale with a major sixth (B): the characteristic note, which makes the minor “bright,” less tragic than Aeolian.
The characteristic chords
| Chord | Notes | Degree | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | D F A C | i7 | tonic |
| Em7 | E G B D | ii7 | contains the 6th (B) |
| Fmaj7 | F A C E | bIIImaj7 | relative |
| G7 | G B D F | IV7 | characteristic chord: major with the Dorian 6th as its third |
| Am7 | A C E G | v7 | minor dominant, weak |
| Bø7 | B D F A | viø7 | contains the 6th, rarely used |
| Cmaj7 | C E G B | bVIImaj7 | “rock” color |
The most typical movement is i7 – IV7 (Dm7 – G7): here G7 does not go to C, but returns to Dm. This is the “Dorian vamp.”
Typical vamps (in D Dorian)
| Vamp | Chords | Example of color |
|---|---|---|
| i – IV | Dm7 – G7 (or Dm – G) | Latin, funk, soul |
| i – ii | Dm7 – Em7 | jazz, soul, fusion |
| i – bVII – IV | Dm – C – G | rock, folk |
| static i | Dm7 for 8–16 bars | modal jazz (So What) |
| i – bIII – IV | Dm – F – G | pop, rock |
Real examples
- Miles Davis, So What (1959): D Dorian for 16 bars, Eb Dorian in the bridge.
- Tito Puente, Oye Como Va (1962–63; Santana’s version, 1970): Am7 – D7 vamp (A Dorian, i7 – IV7).
- Santana, Evil Ways (1969): Gm – C (G Dorian).
- Van Morrison, Moondance (1970): Am7 – Bm7 (A Dorian, i – ii).
- Michael Jackson, Billie Jean (1982): F#m – G#m/F#: the G#m contains D#, the Dorian sixth of F#.
- Daft Punk, Get Lucky (2013): Bm7 – D – F#m7 – E (B Dorian: the E major is the Dorian IV).
- Scarborough Fair (traditional): E Dorian in the melody.
How to write in Dorian without “falling” into Aeolian or the relative major
- Make the 6th heard: in the melody, in the IV7 or in the ii7. Without B the mode gets confused with Aeolian.
- Avoid the major dominant (A7 → Dm): it introduces C# and turns the piece into harmonic minor.
- Keep the bass on the tonic for long stretches, or write bass riffs that often return to the tonic.
- Do not resolve G7 to C: if you do, the ear hears C major as the tonic.
Arranging the vamp
- Bass: tonic and fifth, with passing notes on the 6th and the b7 (D – A – B – C).
- Guitars/keys: syncopated sixteenth-note chords (funk) or sustained pads (modal jazz).
- Melody: minor pentatonic + 6th and 9th (D E F G A B C), phrases that rest on B and on E.
- Dynamics: in a long vamp the interest comes from arrangement, entrances and exits, not from the harmony.
Producer exercise
- Vamp Dm7 – G7 (2 bars each) at 100 BPM, funk groove (54% swing on sixteenth notes).
- Slap bass (or synth bass) with the riff D – D – A – B – C – A.
- Write an 8-bar melody that uses B at least 3 times in strong positions.
- Then transpose the vamp a half step up for 8 bars (Ebm7 – Ab7) and come back: “side-slipping” à la So What.
Related topics
The modes of the major scale, modal harmony and modal loops, advanced quartal harmony, funk and R&B harmony, chord-scale theory.