A# Dorian Mode: Notes, Chords and How to Play It
The A# Dorian mode is a minor scale with a bright streak running through it. It sounds moody, but never gloomy. Think of a soulful groove that feels cool and a little hopeful at the same time. If you've ever wanted your minor-key playing to sound less sad and more funky, Dorian is the scale to learn. Here's everything you need to start playing it in A# today: the notes, where they come from, the chords that fit, and where to find it on your neck.
The notes of A# Dorian
A# Dorian has seven notes:
A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F##, G#
Yes, some of those names look odd. B#, E# and F## (that's "F double sharp") aren't notes you see every day. Don't worry, we'll sort that out in a moment, and there's a much friendlier way to write this scale that sounds exactly the same.
Each note has a number that describes its job in the scale, measured from the root (the home note, A#):
- 1 (root): A#
- 2 (major 2nd): B#
- b3 (minor 3rd): C#
- 4 (perfect 4th): D#
- 5 (perfect 5th): E#
- 6 (major 6th): F##
- b7 (minor 7th): G#
The minor 3rd (C#) is what makes this a minor scale. The minor 7th (G#) adds to that darker colour. But the 6th is where things get interesting.
How the step pattern builds the scale
Every scale is a pattern of distances. On guitar, a half step (H) is one fret, and a whole step (W) is two frets. Dorian follows this pattern:
W - H - W - W - W - H - W
Start on A# and walk it up:
- A# up a whole step gives B#
- B# up a half step gives C#
- C# up a whole step gives D#
- D# up a whole step gives E#
- E# up a whole step gives F##
- F## up a half step gives G#
- G# up a whole step brings you back home to A#
Try it on one string. Put your finger on the 1st fret of the A string (that's A#) and move up the string following the pattern: two frets, one fret, two, two, two, one, two. You've just played A# Dorian from root to root.
Why it sounds the way it does
Most minor scales have a minor (lowered) 6th, which gives them that sad, melancholy feel. Dorian keeps a natural, or major, 6th instead. In this key, that note is F##.
That single note is the secret ingredient. It lifts the scale just enough that it feels soulful and funky rather than tearful. You'll hear this colour all over funk, soul, jazz and Latin-flavoured rock.
What to listen for: play a slow A# minor chord, then pick out the F## in your melody and let it ring. Hear that bittersweet brightness? That's Dorian. Lean on that note in your solos and the mode will announce itself.
About those strange spellings
Here's the reassuring bit. A# Dorian shares its notes with G# major, which has a key signature of 8 sharps. That's more sharps than there are note letters, so one note (F) has to become a double sharp. A double sharp simply means "raise it two half steps," so F## sits two frets above F.
Keys like this are called theoretical keys. They're correct on paper but awkward to read. So in real life, musicians almost always write this scale as Bb Dorian, with a key signature of 4 flats. It sounds absolutely identical; it's the same frets, just with friendlier names. If you see Bb Dorian on a chart, you're playing exactly what's on this page.
Chords from A# Dorian
Build a chord on each note of the scale, using only scale notes, and you get this family:
- i: A#m (A#-C#-E#), or A#m7
- ii: B#m (B#-D#-F##), or B#m7
- bIII: C# (C#-E#-G#), or C#maj7
- IV: D# (D#-F##-A#), or D#7
- v: E#m (E#-G#-B#), or E#m7
- vi°: F##dim (F##-A#-C#), or F##m7b5
- bVII: G# (G#-B#-D#), or G#maj7
Notice the IV chord is major: D#, and it contains F##, our characteristic note. In an ordinary minor key that chord would be minor. A minor i chord moving to a major IV chord is the classic Dorian sound.
A progression to jam over
Loop this two-chord vamp, a few bars each:
A#m7 to D#7
It's simple, but it's the beating heart of countless funk and soul grooves. Record it or have a friend play it, then improvise using A# Dorian over the top. When you want a bit more movement, try A#m7 - G# - D#7 and come back home to A#m7.
Finding A# on the neck
Your root note on a standard-tuned guitar is easy to find:
- Low E (6th) string: frets 6 and 18
- A (5th) string: frets 1 and 13
The 6th-fret root on the low E string is a great home base for soloing, right in the comfortable middle of the neck. The 1st-fret root on the A string works nicely for chords and lower riffs.
Your practice plan
Start the A#m7 to D#7 loop, play the scale slowly from the 6th fret of the low E string, and every time the D#7 comes around, land on F##. Five minutes a day of that and your ears will start hearing Dorian everywhere. Have fun with it.
For the bigger picture, read The Dorian Mode.