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C♯ dorian

C♯ natural minor with one note raised: A♯. Seven notes: C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B. The same notes as B major, centred on C♯.

Parent key
B major Same notes
Colour note
A♯ The raised 6th
Repeating chords
C♯m – F♯ i – IV
80 bpm
Labels

Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode.

iVampC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
iiD♯mD♯ · F♯ · A♯
♭IIIEE · G♯ · B
IVVampF♯F♯ · A♯ · C♯
vG♯mG♯ · B · D♯
vi°A♯°A♯ · C♯ · E
♭VIIBB · D♯ · F♯
Light up

What makes it dorian

Natural minor, with the 6th raised

One note separates C♯ dorian from C♯ natural minor: A becomes A♯. Over the same root, that turns C♯m – F♯m into C♯m – F♯.

C♯ natural minor
  1. C♯
  2. D♯
  3. E
  4. F♯
  5. G♯
  6. A
  7. B
C♯ dorian
  1. C♯
  2. D♯
  3. E
  4. F♯
  5. G♯
  6. A♯
  7. B

Hear the difference

x
C♯m6

One chord that says dorian

C♯m6 holds A♯, the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.

The brightness ladder

Seven modes on C♯

From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Dorian is row 4 of seven.

↑ Brighter

  1. D♭ lydianD♭E♭FGA♭B♭Csame sound as C♯ lydian♯4
  2. C♯ ionian (major)C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯—
  3. C♯ mixolydianC♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♭7
  4. C♯ dorianC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B♭3 ♭7
  5. C♯ aeolian (natural minor)C♯D♯EF♯G♯AB♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  6. C♯ phrygianC♯DEF♯G♯AB♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  7. C♯ locrianC♯DEF♯GAB♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Darker ↓

Jam along

Three drills over the vamp

Play over the repeating C♯m – F♯ chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with A♯ ringed.

  1. The vamp, with a clickC♯m – F♯, two bars each, in frets 3–7. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
  2. Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while C♯m – F♯ sounds. Stay in frets 3–7.80 bpmLevel 1
  3. Land on the colour noteOver F♯, aim for A♯. It is the note that makes it dorian.80 bpmLevel 2

Dorian on every root

Pick a root

Other modes of B major's notes