Common
About the A flat Dorian scale
A flat Dorian is used for funk, jazz, Celtic tunes and moody-but-groovy rock like "So What" and "Scarborough Fair". Think of it as a minor scale with a hopeful lift, thanks to its raised sixth. It is A♭ Mixolydian with the third lowered.
Its notes are A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, and G♭. The formula is W H W W W H W. It is the second mode of G♭ Major.
Also called Kafi and Kharaharapriya.
The scale shares B with the guitar's open strings. The 4th fret of the low E string is the lowest A♭ on the neck. Capo the first fret to play A♭ Dorian with G-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
CAGED
Five shapes, each anchored to a chord form you already know, the pop and rock default that ties your scales to your chords. The outlined notes are that chord, so you can see the C, A, G, E, and D shapes inside the scale.
3NPS
3NPS stands for 3 notes per string. It lays the scale out in seven even shapes for rock and metal lead, and favors speed because the picking pattern stays consistent across every string.
7-position system
7 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Chords in the key of A flat Dorian
Expand a chord to see how to play it.
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Seventh chords in A flat Dorian
The four-note version of each chord, richer and jazzier.
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Progressions in A flat Dorian
Tap any chord to hear it, or play the whole progression.
Common
Notes and intervals
| 1 | AbA♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | BbB♭ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | CbC♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | DbD♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | EbE♭ | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | FF | Major 6th |
| 7 | GbG♭ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | W H W W W H W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-1-2-2-2-1-2 |
| Degrees | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Dorian in other keys
C Dorian scaleD flat Dorian scaleD Dorian scaleE flat Dorian scaleE Dorian scaleF Dorian scaleG flat Dorian scaleG Dorian scaleA Dorian scaleB flat Dorian scaleB Dorian scale
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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