Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
C Dorian b5 Scale
Mode 2 of Harmonic Major: Dorian with a lowered 5th.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Dorian b5 Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|--------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|--------------------------------10-11---------| G|------------------------8-10-11---------------| D|----------------8-10-12-----------------------| A|---------8-9-12-------------------------------| E|-8-10-11--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|-------------------10-12-13----------------------------| A|-------------12-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16-------| G|----------------------------14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-16----------------------| A|-------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19-------| G|-------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|----------------15-16-19-------------------------| A|-------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|----------------------------17-19-20----------------| D|----------------------19-20-------------------------| A|----------17-18-20-21-------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Dorian b5 on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, ♭5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 8–12. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| 2 | D |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| 4 | F |
| ♭5 | Gb |
| 6 | A |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Chords in C Dorian b5
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Dorian b5; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Cdim | Cm7b5 | Tonic |
| ii | Dm | Dm7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Mediant |
| IV | F | F7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| vi° | Adim | Adim7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Dorian b5 Scale?
- The C Dorian b5 Scale has 7 notes: C, D, Eb, F, Gb, A, Bb.
- What chords are in the C Dorian b5 Scale?
- The chords of C Dorian b5 are Cdim (i°), Dm (ii), Ebm (♭iii), F (IV), Gbaug (♭V+), Adim (vi°), Bb (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the dorian b5 scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W H W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Dorian b5 on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.