The Dorian b5 mode - Guitar Diagrams and Theory

What's the Dorian b5 mode?

The Dorian b5 scale is the second mode of the harmonic major scale. This is a minor scale built with root (1), second (2), minor third (b3), fourth (4), diminished fifth (b5), sixth (6) and minor seventh (b7). You can see it as the Dorian mode with a b5. It should not be confused with the second mode of the harmonic minor scale named Locrian 13 that contains a b2. The Dorian b5 mode can be used over any half-diminished chord in a minor II-V-I sequence for example.

Comparison with the Dorian mode

The chart below show you the difference between the Dorian b5 mode and the Dorian mode, which is the second mode of the major scale and the most used when improvising over minor chords.

Comparison with the Locrian 13 mode

The Locrian 13 mode is the second mode of the harmonic minor scale. It has a b2 instead of a natural 2.

Triads built from the Dorian b5 mode

The Dorian b5 mode brings four types of triads :

• Two major triads
• Two minor triads
• One augmented triad 
• Two diminished triads .

Exemple with the D Dorian b5 mode :

• Gmaj (G-B-D)
• Cmaj (C-E-G)
• Em (E-G-B)
• Fm (F-Ab-C)
• Abaug (Ab-C-E)
• Ddim (D-F-Ab)
• Bbdim (Bb-D-F)

Seventh chords built from the Dorian b5 mode

When stacking thirds on each degree of the Dorian b5 mode we obtain these chords.   

• i m7b5 (9, 11, 13) 
• ii m7  (b9, b11, b13) 
• iii minMaj7 (9, #11, 13) 
• IV7 (b9, 11, 13)  
• V maj#5 (#9, #11, 13)
• VI dim7 (b9, 11, b13) 
• VII maj7 (9, 11, b13)

Here are two main positions to play the Dorian b5 mode on guitar.

• 

  101 Dominant Arpeggio Patterns NEW

  This printable PDF eBook provides 101 dominant arpeggio exercises with tab, theory and standard notation for the jazz, blues and rock guitarist.
• 

  40 Major Jazz Guitar Licks NEW

  Printable PDF eBook containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with tab, standard notation and audio files for beginners and intermediates.
• 

  49 Essential Jazz Lines

  This downloadable eBook in PDF format provides 49 jazz solo transcriptions of the greatest jazz musicians of all times with TABS, standard notation and analysis both for guitar teachers and students.
• 

  Mastering Pentatonic Scales

  This jazz guitar method is an eBook available as a PDF with standard notation, guitar tabs, diagrams, analysis, audio files and backing tracks. You will find in this booklet 25 easy jazz guitar lines with theory using common and rare pentatonic scales.
• 

  20 II-V-I jazz guitar licks

  This method is a printable PDF eBook containing 20 II-V-I jazz guitar lines with tabs and audio files both in major and minor keys
• 

  5 Jazz blues arpeggio studies

  A printable PDF eBook with tabs and standard notation containing five jazz blues guitar studies. Learn how to use arpeggios over a jazz blues progression.
• 

  50 II-V-I voicings

  Jazz guitar comping. How to play II-V-I chord progressions on guitar with drop 2, drop 3 chords, rootless and inverted voicings. This method is a printable PDF eBook containing 50 exercises with analysis, tabs & standard notation.
• 

  11 blues jazz studies

  This PDF method contains 11 guitar lessons with chord studies, tabs, standard notation, analysis & audio files about the main blues progressions used in jazz music.
• 

  Mastering the altered scale

  This PDF eBook method contains 25 altered jazz guitar licks with tabs, patterns, scale charts and audio files to master, apply and develop the altered scale.
• 

  40 Blues Dominant patterns

  This printable method is available as a PDF file containing 40 easy dominant jazz-blues guitar lines with tabs, standard notation, analysis and scale charts.
• 

  25 Soul Jazz Guitar Licks

  You will find here an eBook available in PDF containing 25 soul jazz and hard bop guitar licks with tabs and standard notation in the style of Grant Green, Melvin Sparks, George Benson.These jazz lines come with tabs, standard notation, guitar neck diagrams, backing track for practice and 25 audio files for each riff.
• 

  25 Diminished Patterns

  This eBook PDF contains 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns using the half-whole diminished scale and diminished 7th arpeggios.
• 

  25 minor jazz guitar licks

  This printable PDF eBook contains 25 minor jazz guitar licks with tabs, video links, analysis. How to play modes, scales & arpeggios over minor chords.
• 

  6 Tritone substitution licks

  The tritone substitution is explained through 6 jazz guitar licks with tabs/notation, youtube video links. Printable PDF eBook.