Guitar scale · Dorian mode
C# Dorian Scale
Minor mode featuring a major 6th degree, producing a cool, funky, and jazzy minor sound.
Tap any note to hear it.
How to play C# Dorian on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are 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 9–13. 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.
C# Dorian uses exactly the same notes as B major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the B Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| ♭3 | E |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| 6 | A# |
| ♭7 | B |
Fretwise for Android · Free
Practise C# Dorian anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of the Fretwise app. On your phone you get all 20 scales and 23 chord types in every key, 7 tunings including Drop D and DADGAD, and the CAGED shapes on one tap. No sign-up.
- Songwriter Handbook: the chords of any key, filtered by mood
- 51 genre practice loops, from blues to flamenco and neo-soul
- One purchase, no subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the C# Dorian Scale?
- The C# Dorian Scale has 7 notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B.
- What is the formula of the dorian scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W W W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Dorian on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.