In this lesson I’m going to go over the 2nd mode of the Major Scale: The Dorian Mode.

The Dorian mode most closely resembles the Natural Minor Scale, so we’ll start with that, here is the D Natural Minor Scale.
R   2   m3   4    5  m6   m7
D   E    F    G   A   Bb    C

To turn this into the Dorian Mode we need to sharpen the m6. So our new pattern is this.
R   2   m3   4    5   6   m7
D   E    F    G   A   B    C

Here is the tablature for D Dorian. Remember, this is a moveable shape so you can, for instance, play it 2 frets higher and make it E Dorian.

It’s important to make your own mind up about what the modes sound like, and what particular thoughts or feelings they invoke. Take some time to play around with the above pattern, maybe work out a couple licks and slip them into your regular solos, or over simple backing tracks.

You could also listen to the following tracks as an aural study, as these are all written in the Dorian Mode:
Oye Como Va by Tito Puente, (popularized by Santana)
Billie Jean by Micheal Jackson
Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple
Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles

I will be uploading a Dorian Etude in the near future, but in the mean time you could mess around with this Dorian I, IV, V progression:

   I                                   IV                                     V
Dm                                 G                                    Am
Dm7                               G7                                  Am7