Learn the D♭ Dorian scale — notes, intervals, chords, modes, and more.
The D♭ Dorian scale contains the following notes:
D♭ – E♭ – F♭ – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭The scale degrees of the D♭ Dorian scale are:
1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, ♭7| Scale Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ |
| 2 | E♭ |
| ♭3 | F♭ |
| 4 | G♭ |
| 5 | A♭ |
| 6 | B♭ |
| ♭7 | C♭ |
The D♭ Dorian scale uses the interval pattern W, H, W, W, W, H, W
| From | To | Step |
|---|---|---|
| D♭ | E♭ | W |
| E♭ | F♭ | H |
| F♭ | G♭ | W |
| G♭ | A♭ | W |
| A♭ | B♭ | W |
| B♭ | C♭ | H |
| C♭ | D♭ | W |
| Scale Degree | Note | Interval from D♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ | Perfect Unison |
| 2 | E♭ | Major 2nd |
| ♭3 | F♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | G♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | A♭ | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | B♭ | Major 6th |
| ♭7 | C♭ | Minor 7th |
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | D♭m | D♭, F♭, A♭ |
| ii | E♭m | E♭, G♭, B♭ |
| III | F♭ | F♭, A♭, C♭ |
| IV | G♭ | G♭, B♭, D♭ |
| v | A♭m | A♭, C♭, E♭ |
| vi° | B♭dim | B♭, D♭, F♭ |
| VII | C♭ | C♭, E♭, G♭ |
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | D♭m7 | D♭, F♭, A♭, C♭ |
| ii7 | E♭m7 | E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭ |
| IIImaj7 | F♭maj7 | F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭ |
| IV7 | G♭7 | G♭, B♭, D♭, F♭ |
| v7 | A♭m7 | A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ |
| viø7 | B♭m7♭5 | B♭, D♭, F♭, A♭ |
| VIImaj7 | C♭maj7 | C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ |
The modes of D♭ Dorian use the same notes but start on different scale degrees.
| Mode | Starting note | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C♭ Ionian | C♭ | C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ |
| D♭ Dorian | D♭ | D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| E♭ Phrygian | E♭ | E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| F♭ Lydian | F♭ | F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ |
| G♭ Mixolydian | G♭ | G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| A♭ Aeolian | A♭ | A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭ |
| B♭ Locrian | B♭ | B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭ |
D♭ Dorian is the 2nd mode of the C♭ major scale. Both share the same 7 notes — Dorian simply starts on the 2nd degree (D♭) instead of the root (C♭).
The only difference is the 6th degree. D♭ Dorian has a major 6th (B♭), while D♭ natural minor has a minor 6th. That raised 6th gives Dorian a brighter, slightly more hopeful character compared to natural minor's darker sound.
D♭ Dorian has a minor 3rd (F♭) and a minor 7th (C♭), while D♭ major has a major 3rd and major 7th. This gives Dorian a minor quality overall, but its major 6th (B♭) keeps it from sounding as dark as natural minor.