Dorian Mode
Minor with one note raised, and the difference is not subtle. Dorian is natural minor with a major sixth, which lifts the scale just enough that it stops sounding resigned. It is the sound of soul, funk and most of deep house.
- 7 notes
- 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
- the natural sixth
which styles use it
- Deep house
- Soul & R&B
- Funk
- Jazz
How it is built
Take natural minor and raise the sixth degree by a half step. In C that means A natural instead of A flat. On the white keys, Dorian is what you get playing from D to D.
Minor with hope in it. Darker than major and noticeably lighter than natural minor, without ever tipping into either.
Where to use it
Over minor vamps that need to stay open rather than sad. In funk and soul, where the raised sixth turns up in the melody constantly. In deep house, where a two chord loop and that one note carry an entire track.
The chords that go with it
The giveaway chord is the major IV. In C Dorian that is an F major chord, which contains the raised sixth and is impossible in natural minor. A i to IV loop is the shortest way to establish Dorian.
What it gets confused with
With natural minor, which differs by that one note. Play a Dorian vamp and add a chord containing the flattened sixth and the mode collapses immediately.