Learn the E♭ Dorian scale — notes, intervals, chords, modes, and more.
The E♭ Dorian scale contains the following notes:
E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭The scale degrees of the E♭ Dorian scale are:
1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, ♭7| Scale Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ |
| 2 | F |
| ♭3 | G♭ |
| 4 | A♭ |
| 5 | B♭ |
| 6 | C |
| ♭7 | D♭ |
The E♭ Dorian scale uses the interval pattern W, H, W, W, W, H, W
| From | To | Step |
|---|---|---|
| E♭ | F | W |
| F | G♭ | H |
| G♭ | A♭ | W |
| A♭ | B♭ | W |
| B♭ | C | W |
| C | D♭ | H |
| D♭ | E♭ | W |
| Scale Degree | Note | Interval from E♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | Perfect Unison |
| 2 | F | Major 2nd |
| ♭3 | G♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | A♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | B♭ | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | C | Major 6th |
| ♭7 | D♭ | Minor 7th |
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | E♭m | E♭, G♭, B♭ |
| ii | Fm | F, A♭, C |
| III | G♭ | G♭, B♭, D♭ |
| IV | A♭ | A♭, C, E♭ |
| v | B♭m | B♭, D♭, F |
| vi° | Cdim | C, E♭, G♭ |
| VII | D♭ | D♭, F, A♭ |
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | E♭m7 | E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭ |
| ii7 | Fm7 | F, A♭, C, E♭ |
| IIImaj7 | G♭maj7 | G♭, B♭, D♭, F |
| IV7 | A♭7 | A♭, C, E♭, G♭ |
| v7 | B♭m7 | B♭, D♭, F, A♭ |
| viø7 | Cm7♭5 | C, E♭, G♭, B♭ |
| VIImaj7 | D♭maj7 | D♭, F, A♭, C |
The modes of E♭ Dorian use the same notes but start on different scale degrees.
| Mode | Starting note | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| D♭ Ionian | D♭ | D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C |
| E♭ Dorian | E♭ | E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ |
| F Phrygian | F | F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭ |
| G♭ Lydian | G♭ | G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F |
| A♭ Mixolydian | A♭ | A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ |
| B♭ Aeolian | B♭ | B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭ |
| C Locrian | C | C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ |
E♭ Dorian is the 2nd mode of the D♭ major scale. Both share the same 7 notes — Dorian simply starts on the 2nd degree (E♭) instead of the root (D♭).
The only difference is the 6th degree. E♭ Dorian has a major 6th (C), while E♭ natural minor has a minor 6th. That raised 6th gives Dorian a brighter, slightly more hopeful character compared to natural minor's darker sound.
E♭ Dorian has a minor 3rd (G♭) and a minor 7th (D♭), while E♭ major has a major 3rd and major 7th. This gives Dorian a minor quality overall, but its major 6th (C) keeps it from sounding as dark as natural minor.