fuaranScale Mastery

The complete library39 scales · 6 families

Diatonic modes

The seven church modes — Ionian through Locrian.

Ionian7 Dorian7 Phrygian7 Lydian7 Mixolydian7 Aeolian7 Locrian7

Tonal defaults

Major and the three minor variants.

Major7 Natural Minor7 Harmonic Minor7 Melodic Minor7 Jazz Minor7

Pentatonic + blues

Five- and six-note vocabulary of folk, blues, rock.

Pentatonic Major5 Pentatonic Minor5 Blues6 Major Blues6 Egyptian Suspended5

Symmetric

Equal intervals — bebop, whole-tone, diminished.

Chromatic12 Whole Tone6 Diminished Half Whole8 Diminished Whole Half8 Augmented6

Jazz / melodic-minor modes

Modes of melodic + harmonic minor.

Lydian Dominant7 Altered7 Lydian Augmented7 Locrian Natural 67 Phrygian Dominant7 Bebop Dominant8 Bebop Major8

World / exotic

Eastern + Asian scale vocabulary.

Harmonic Major7 Double Harmonic7 Hungarian7 Persian7 Neapolitan Minor7 Hirajoshi5 In Sen5 Yo5 Pelog5 Iwato5

SCALE · ON BASS TROMBONE

C Dorian

Minor with a raised 6th — the wistful folk / modal-jazz mode. So Long, Marianne; Eleanor Rigby; modal jazz on m7 chords.

MEI MIDI Humdrum

Choose a root

C C♯D♭D D♯E♭E F F♯G♭G G♯A♭A A♯B♭B

Meter:Octave per bar Crotchets in 4/4 Quavers in 4/4 Triplets in 4/4

Verovio

Tempo120 bpm

Audio source: synthesised in-browser via Tone.js (MIT)

FingeringFollows the scale as it plays — written pitch, matches the staff

Harmonic seriesTube of the tonic fingering — C sounds partial 2

Related scales

Parent scaleB♭ MajorSame seven notes, tonic on the ♭7 — Dorian's parent major scale.ParallelC Natural MinorSame tonic, drop the raised 6th — natural minor.ParallelC MajorSame tonic, raise the 3rd + 6th — the parallel major.Up a fifthG DorianOne sharp brighter.Up a fourthF DorianOne flat darker.One note differentC PhrygianLower the 2nd — the Spanish / metal modal twist.One note differentC MixolydianRaise the 3rd — the major-mode sibling.ExoticC Melodic MinorDorian + raised 7th — the leading-tone version of the modal-jazz workhorse.

Diatonic chord harmonisation

Triads →7th chords →Quartal voicings →

Same scale, other instruments

On Piano On Guitar On Bass Guitar On Violin On Cello On Flute On Alto Saxophone On Soprano

Same scale, other tonics

C♯D E♭E F F♯G A♭A B♭B

Modes built on this tonic

All modes C Ionian C Dorian C Phrygian C Lydian C Mixolydian C Aeolian C Locrian

Compare with

vs Aeolian vs Natural Minor

Theory reference

What's a scale?What's a mode?Intervals Perfect 5th Major 3rd Tritone All comparisons Intervals from this tonic

Questions

What notes are in the C Dorian scale?

The C Dorian scale uses the notes C, D, E♭, F, G, A, B♭ (one octave; the pattern repeats at higher registers).

What's the Dorian scale formula?

The Dorian scale follows the interval pattern W H W W W H W, where W = whole step (2 semitones) and H = half step (1 semitone). Apply that pattern starting on C to get the C Dorian scale.

What chords work over C Dorian?

Dorian works over m7 chords and the minor-mode 'modal jazz' II–V–I substitute. Think 'So What' over D Dorian.

How do I finger C Dorian on Bass Trombone?

On brass, scales train embouchure + valve / slide coordination across the partials. Slow practice with a tuner reveals intonation tendencies (e.g., the 5th partial sharp on trumpet).

When would I use the Dorian scale?

Minor with a raised 6th — the wistful folk / modal-jazz mode. So Long, Marianne; Eleanor Rigby; modal jazz on m7 chords.