C♯ / D♭ Dorian Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The C♯ Dorian scale has 7 notes: C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B. Dorian is a minor scale with a bright major 6th. That one note lifts the sadness of the natural minor and gives a cool, soulful sound: the scale of funk vamps, Santana solos and modal jazz. In Indian music it is Kafi thaat.

C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch, so this page covers both names; the notes are spelled from C♯, the way the key is usually written. Compared with the C♯ major scale it has ♭3 (E instead of E♯), ♭7 (B instead of B♯).

The explorer above is set to C♯ Dorian: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 7 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

C♯ Dorian scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from C♯	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	C♯	R	0	S
2	D♯	M2	2	R
♭3	E	m3	3	g
4	F♯	P4	5	M
5	G♯	P5	7	P
6	A♯	M6	9	D
♭7	B	m7	10	n

Steps between the notes: W H W W W H W (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any C♯ and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

C♯ Dorian scale positions on the guitar

With three notes on every string, C♯ Dorian has seven patterns that climb the neck. Position 1 starts on C♯ on the low E string at fret 9; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 9–14	11 12 14	11 12 14	9 11 13	9 11 13	9 11 13	9 11 12
Position 2 frets 11–16	12 14 16	12 14 16	11 13 15	11 13 14	11 13 14	11 12 14
Position 3 frets 12–18	14 16 18	14 16 17	13 15 16	13 14 16	13 14 16	12 14 16
Position 4 frets 14–19	16 18 19	16 17 19	15 16 18	14 16 18	14 16 18	14 16 18
Position 5 frets 16–21	18 19 21	17 19 21	16 18 20	16 18 20	16 18 19	16 18 19
Position 6 frets 6–11	7 9 11	7 9 11	6 8 9	6 8 9	6 7 9	6 7 9
Position 7 frets 7–12	9 11 12	9 11 12	8 9 11	8 9 11	7 9 11	7 9 11

Chords in the C♯ Dorian scale

Stacking every other note of the scale on each degree gives these chords. They are the chords a song in C♯ Dorian is made from, and the chords this scale fits over.

	i	ii	♭III	IV	v	vi°	♭VII
Triad	C♯m	D♯m	E	F♯	G♯m	A♯dim	B
7th chord	C♯m7	D♯m7	Emaj7	F♯7	G♯m7	A♯m7♭5	Bmaj7

Where you hear it

C♯ Dorian is used in funk, soul, jazz, Latin rock and Celtic music. It sounds best over minor 7th chords, especially a i7 – IV7 vamp.

Backing tracks to practise C♯ Dorian

C♯ minor blues C♯ minor rock C♯ minor funk C♯m metal

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 9–14) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every C♯ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on C♯.