G Dorian
The G Dorian mode — G A Bb C D E F — shown across the guitar neck.
Tap any note on the neck.
Swipe the neck sideways to see the higher frets.
G Dorian is the natural minor with one note changed — the 6, E. 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 G Dorian?
G Dorian is the seven notes G A Bb C D E F — the notes of F major started from its 2nd degree, G. Same seven notes as the parent, but with G as home, so the intervals and the sound are different.
G Dorian vs G 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 E in Dorian, where G natural minor has b6, Eb.
Play G natural minor and G Dorian back to back over a Gm chord and listen for E — that is the note to lean on.
Chords in G Dorian
Stack the mode in thirds and each degree becomes a chord. The home chord is Gm; the rest are the chords of F major, since the notes are the same — what changes is which one the music rests on. Vamp between Gm and C and the mode is unmistakable.
G Dorian on the guitar neck
Because G Dorian is F major from its 2nd note, its natural fingering is position 2 of the seven three-notes-per-string shapes of F major — the shape whose lowest note is G. Learn that shape with G as home — start and end on it, over a drone on G or the vamp above — and you have the mode under your fingers. Play the same shape with F as home and you hear F major instead. The other six positions are the fingerings for the other six modes of the same key.
How to practice G Dorian on guitar
- Loop position 2 of F major at 60 BPM, starting and ending on G so your ear hears G as home rather than F.
- Hold a Gm chord (or record one) and play the shape over it. Land on E 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 G Dorian from its own root: the orange dots are on G and the degrees count from it. The notes are its parent key's, F major; to hear Dorian, start and end on G.
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