C Dorian
The C Dorian mode — C D Eb F G A Bb — shown across the guitar neck.
Tap any note on the neck.
Swipe the neck sideways to see the higher frets.
C Dorian is the natural minor with one note changed — the 6, A. That single note is what gives the mode its sound: lean on it and the colour is obvious. Leave it out and the melody alone could pass for plain minor — then it is the chords underneath that keep the mode.
What is C Dorian?
C Dorian is the seven notes C D Eb F G A Bb — the notes of Bb major started from its 2nd degree, C. Same seven notes as the parent, but with C as home, so the intervals and the sound are different.
C Dorian vs C natural minor
6 of the seven notes are the same. The difference is one note, and that is the whole character of the mode:
- 6 is A in Dorian, where C natural minor has b6, Ab.
Play C natural minor and C Dorian back to back over a Cm chord and listen for A — that is the note to lean on.
Chords in C Dorian
Stack the mode in thirds and each degree becomes a chord. The home chord is Cm; the rest are the chords of Bb major, since the notes are the same — what changes is which one the music rests on. Vamp between Cm and F and the mode is unmistakable.
C Dorian on the guitar neck
Because C Dorian is Bb major from its 2nd note, its natural fingering is position 2 of the seven three-notes-per-string shapes of Bb major — the shape whose lowest note is C. Learn that shape with C as home — start and end on it, over a drone on C or the vamp above — and you have the mode under your fingers. Play the same shape with Bb as home and you hear Bb major instead. The other six positions are the fingerings for the other six modes of the same key.
How to practice C Dorian on guitar
- Loop position 2 of Bb major at 60 BPM, starting and ending on C so your ear hears C as home rather than Bb.
- Hold a Cm chord (or record one) and play the shape over it. Land on A on the strong beats — that is the sound of Dorian.
- Hear it harmonized in 3rds on the Fretboard: press Play and every note sounds with its partner while the neck lights up.
The tool draws C Dorian from its own root: the orange dots are on C and the degrees count from it. The notes are its parent key's, Bb major; to hear Dorian, start and end on C.
Find out what you should learn next. Five questions and Guitar Theory Studio builds you a four-week plan through the fretboard, chords, scales, arpeggios and ear training — week one free.
Build my free plan →