The Dorian Mode

part 3 - chapter 14 part 3 - chapter 14

Chapter 14 The Dorian Mode

The modes are an often misunderstood topic and are commonly one of the least popular aspects of scale theory for bassists to learn. However, by studying the major scales using the ‘content over patterns’ idea outlined earlier in the book, you should be able to understand and play the modes by seeing how they relate back to the major and natural minor scales.

The best way to learn the modes comes from having an excellent understanding of the major and minor scales. If you can play all twelve major scales – and their relative minors – over two octaves without using any pre-written fretboard patterns you should find that learning the modes is quite straightforward. I therefore suggest that before studying the modes, you work on these scales as much as you possibly can. The Modes of the Major Scale A mode is simply a major scale played starting and ending on a different note. For example if we take the C major scale – which as you know contains only natural notes – and play it from D to D we would have this:

In this chapter we going to look at the Dorian mode. The Dorian mode starts from the second degree of the major scale and is a minor mode. This means that it contains a minor third, and is therefore appropriate This scale sounds unlike either the major or the minor scale, but it for use over a minor chord. You’ll recall from Chapter 8 that the second contains the same notes as the C major scale – it is a mode of the C chord in a major key is a minor chord – the Dorian mode is therefore major scale. We can create a mode from any of the seven notes of the suitable for use with that chord. major scale and over the course of the next few chapters we will look at each of these in turn and examine situations in which we might use them. When learning any mode, it can be very helpful to remember two pieces of information: firstly, you should be able to relate the mode back to its Some good news: we have already learnt two of the modes! Starting and ‘home’ key. For example, when playing the D Dorian mode, you should ending the C major scale on C is both the major scale and the Ionian keep in mind that you are playing the notes from the C major scale. mode. Similarly, starting and ending on A gives us the natural minor scale To find the home key from the first note of a Dorian mode, you can and the Aeolian mode. simply count back a tone: On the next page is an illustration of the seven modes of the major scale.

Home Key Start of Dorian Mode

84 THE BASS PLAYER’S GUIDE TO SCALES & MODES THE BASS PLAYER’S GUIDE TO SCALES & MODES 85