Scales · Dorian Key of D

D Dorian Scale on guitar · notes, intervals & diagram

The D Dorian scale contains the notes D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Minor with a major 6th — darker than major, warmer than natural minor. Sophisticated, hopeful-melancholy.

Standard tuning · 15 frets

Open in interactive tool →
EADGBE 35791215 E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G Root Scale note

Notes & intervals.

# Degree Note
1 1 D root
2 2 E
3 b3 F
4 4 G
5 5 A
6 6 B
7 b7 C

Sound & use

Minor with a major 6th — darker than major, warmer than natural minor. Sophisticated, hopeful-melancholy.

Jazz solos over minor 7 chords, modal folk (Scarborough Fair), funk grooves and prog rock.

Common in: jazz, funk, folk, prog

Try it interactively

Scale generator →

Other scales

Other scales in the key of D.

Scale

D Major

Bright, resolved, optimistic — the default sound of Western pop, folk and most children's music.

Scale

D Natural Minor

Melancholy, introspective, serious — but not desperately sad. The classic "minor key" sound.

Scale

D Major Pentatonic

The major scale with the 4 and 7 removed — five notes that "always work" over a major chord. Sweet, melodic, never dissonant.

Scale

D Minor Pentatonic

The scale that built rock and blues. Bluesy, plaintive, and easy to play in five connected positions across the neck.

Scale

D Blues

Minor pentatonic plus the "blue note" (b5). Gritty, vocal, instantly recognisable as the blues.

Scale

D Phrygian

Minor with a flat 2nd — exotic, Spanish, slightly menacing. The b2 is the defining sound.

Scale

D Lydian

Major with a raised 4th — dreamy, suspended, otherworldly. The sound of film-score wonder.

Scale

D Mixolydian

Major with a flat 7th — bright but bluesy. The "rock major scale".

Scale

D Locrian

The "weird one" — minor with both a flat 2nd and a flat 5th. Restless, dissonant, hard to resolve.

Scale

D Harmonic Minor

Natural minor with a raised 7th — creates the dramatic 1.5-step gap between b6 and 7. Classical, neo-classical, Middle-Eastern flavours.

Scale

D Melodic Minor

Minor scale with a major 6th and 7th going up (jazz/ascending form). Sophisticated, slippery, modern.

Scale

D Phrygian Dominant

Phrygian with a major 3rd — the iconic flamenco/Middle-Eastern sound. Major flavour, minor tension.

Scale

D Hungarian Minor

Two augmented seconds (between b3–#4 and b6–7) give this scale its distinctive Eastern European / Romani drama.

Scale

D Whole Tone

Six equally-spaced notes, no semitones — the symmetrical "dreamlike" scale. No clear tonic; ambiguous and weightless.

Scale

D Hirajoshi

Traditional Japanese pentatonic — austere, contemplative, instantly evocative of koto music.

All keys

Dorian scale in every key.

FAQ

About the D Dorian scale
on guitar.

What notes are in the D Dorian scale?

The D Dorian scale contains the notes D, E, F, G, A, B, C. The intervals from the root are 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7.

Where does the D Dorian scale come from?

It's the Dorian scale rooted on D. Minor with a major 6th — darker than major, warmer than natural minor. Sophisticated, hopeful-melancholy. Jazz solos over minor 7 chords, modal folk (Scarborough Fair), funk grooves and prog rock.

How do I practise the D Dorian scale on guitar?

Start with the diagram on this page — find the root notes (the orange dots) and play through the pattern slowly, alternating picking. Once the shape is in your hands, set a metronome at around 60 BPM and play it ascending and descending in eighth-notes. Use the free metronome to keep yourself honest.

Which genres use the D Dorian scale?

The Dorian scale is found across jazz, funk, folk, prog. The character of the key — D — affects how it feels rather than how it works: a D Dorian solo has the same intervals and the same emotional shape as any other Dorian solo, just transposed.

Can I print the D Dorian fretboard diagram?

Yes. Use your browser's print function (Cmd/Ctrl + P) — the diagram on this page is a vector SVG that prints crisply at any size. Or use the interactive scale generator to export the same diagram as a standalone SVG or PNG file.