C# Dorian
The C# Dorian mode (also written Db) — C# D# E F# G# A# B — shown across the guitar neck.
Also written Db Dorian. Db and C# are the same pitch — C# is the spelling in common use.
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# E F# G# A# B — the notes of B 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, A.
Play C# natural minor and C# Dorian back to back over a C#m 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 C#m; the rest are the chords of B major, since the notes are the same — what changes is which one the music rests on. Vamp between C#m and F# and the mode is unmistakable.
C# Dorian on the guitar neck
Because C# Dorian is B major from its 2nd note, its natural fingering is position 2 of the seven three-notes-per-string shapes of B 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 B as home and you hear B 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 B major at 60 BPM, starting and ending on C# so your ear hears C# as home rather than B.
- Hold a C#m 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, B 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 →