Community Challenge 47 | Write something using Dorian mode

Hi Everyone,

Each week I invite my Patrons to participate in a community challenge. This is a weekly reminder to SPEAK the language of music. Even if you don't ever intend to be a songwriter, a weekly dabble in creating music can VASTLY increase your ability to play music with other people.

This week, the challenge is to Write something using Dorian Mode.

There are a few ways to build a mode: starting from scratch with whole steps and half steps, adapting a familiar scale, or using the "which note of a major scale is it based on" method.

I'll quickly run through all three methods. 

Dorian mode, in whole steps and half steps, is WHWWWHW

With scale-degree numbers, it looks like this:

1-w-2-h-3-w-4-w-5-w-6-h-7-w-8

Using "A" as the 1st note, we get a scale like this:

A-w-B-h-C-w-D-w-E-w-F#-h-G-w-A

Using "E" as the 1st note, we get a scale like this:

E-w-F#-h-G-w-A-w-B-w-C#-h-D-w-E

If we start with the second method - adapting a familiar scale - a Dorian scale is simply a natural minor scale with a sharp sixth note.

For example:

A Minor Scale:   A   B   C   D   E    F     G   A
A Dorian Scale: A   B   C   D    E   F#   G   A

C Minor Scale:     C   D   Eb   F   G   Ab   Bb   C
C Dorian Scale:   C   D   Eb   F   G    A     Bb   C

D Minor Scale:      D   E   F   G   A   Bb   C   D
D Dorian Scale:    D   E   F   G   A     B    C   D

The "which note of the scale" method gets confusing for a lot of people, but it's also the method that makes it easiest to figure out which chord goes with each note of the scale.

Dorian mode is like creating a new scale based on the SECOND note of a major scale. The way you can think about it is like this:

"If I want X note to be the start of my Dorian scale, I can to go BACK a whole step from X and build a major scale and keep X as my root note."

Let's try is. If I want to build a Dorian scale based on "A" I can go back a whole step to G and build a major scale. Then use the second note "A" as the root note for Dorian.

G Major: G - w - A - w - B - h - C - w - D - w - E - w - F# - h - G
A Dorian:              A - w - B - h - C - w - D - w - E - w - F# - h - G - A

The reason this method is SUPER useful is that it makes it a lot easier to figure which chords go with which notes of the scale:

Chords in the Key of G:

I     = Gmaj
ii    = Am
iii   = Bm
IV  = Cmaj
V   = Dmaj
vi   = Em
vii° = F#°

Chords in the Key of A Dorian:

i      = Am
ii     = Bm
III    = Cmaj
IV   = Dmaj
v     = Em
vi°  = F#°
VII  = G

I have some lessons about this stuff in Music Theory Monday. A great starting point with Dorian chord progressions is to start with a simple i IV progression and slowly add other chords into the mix to see if "i" continues to feel like home.

Have a blast and remember, this is writing PRACTICE, so nothing needs to be perfect or even "good" for you to post it. It's all about experimenting and learning how YOU write to further your musical development.

Post what you come up with on the Community Forum.