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B Dorian Mode – Guitar

A minor scale with a raised 6th: the jazzy, funky minor sound of Santana and 'Oye Como Va'. Here it is in B: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.

Notes in the B dorian mode

Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in B minor, and over B blues and rock progressions.

B dorian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415EF#G#AC#DEF#AC#DEF#G#ADEF#G#AC#DEG#AC#DEF#G#AC#DEF#G#AC#DEF#G#AC#DEF#
B Dorian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (B).
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The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB

Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.

Box 1 · frets 6–11

EADGBe67891011C#DEF#G#G#AC#C#DEF#F#G#AC#D
B Dorian Mode, box 1
e|----------------------------------------------------7--9--10-|
B|-------------------------------------------7--9--10----------|
G|-------------------------------6--7--9--11-------------------|
D|-------------------6--7--9--11-------------------------------|
A|----------7--9--11-------------------------------------------|
E|-7--9--10----------------------------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 8–13

EADGBe8910111213C#DEF#G#AC#DEF#G#G#AC#DE
B Dorian Mode, box 2
e|----------------------------------------------9--10-12-|
B|-------------------------------------9--10-12----------|
G|----------------------------9--11-13-------------------|
D|-------------------9--11-12----------------------------|
A|----------9--11-12-------------------------------------|
E|-9--10-12----------------------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 10–16

EADGBe10111213141516DEF#G#G#AC#C#DEF#F#G#AAC#DDEF#G#
B Dorian Mode, box 3
e|-------------------------------------------------------------10-12-14-16-|
B|-------------------------------------------------10-12-14-15-------------|
G|-------------------------------------11-13-14-16-------------------------|
D|-------------------------11-12-14-16-------------------------------------|
A|-------------11-12-14-16-------------------------------------------------|
E|-10-12-14-16-------------------------------------------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 1–6

EADGBe123456EF#G#AAC#DDEF#G#G#AC#C#DEEF#G#A
B Dorian Mode, box 4
e|---------------------------------2-4-5-|
B|---------------------------2-3-5-------|
G|-------------------1-2-4-6-------------|
D|-------------2-4-6---------------------|
A|-------2-4-5---------------------------|
E|-2-4-5---------------------------------|

Box 5 · frets 3–8

EADGBe345678G#AC#DEF#G#AC#DDEF#G#A
B Dorian Mode, box 5
e|-------------------------------4-5-7-|
B|-------------------------3-5-7-------|
G|-------------------4-6-7-------------|
D|-------------4-6-7-------------------|
A|-------4-5-7-------------------------|
E|-4-5-7-------------------------------|

3 B minor licks to play with it

Box 1 licks from the JamEase lick library, written for B minor (h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide, b = bend, ~ = vibrato).

Top-string answer

Picking · Rock

Down from the top, a step back, and home on the high root.

e|-10-7-----7--|
B|-------10----|
G|-------------|
D|-------------|
A|-------------|
E|-------------|

Pentatonic repeat

Pull-off · Rock

One little three-note shape, walked down the box in triplets.

e|-10p-7-------------------------------|
B|---------10--10p-7-------------------|
G|---------------------9---9p--7-------|
D|---------------------------------9---|
A|-------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------|

Vibrato home

Vibrato · Soulful

Two notes, then hold the root and shake it. Vibrato is your voice.

e|----------|
B|----------|
G|-7--9-----|
D|-------9~-|
A|----------|
E|----------|

B minor backing track

Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.

Slow As Hell B Minor Blues Backing Track | SRV Style Guitar Jam (43.33 BPM) – Now YOU Shred Backing Tracks

Songs in B minor

These songs are in B minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:

All songs in B minor →

Other scales in B

Dorian Mode in other keys

Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.

Learn to solo

FAQ

What notes are in the B dorian mode?

B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7.

Where do I start playing the B dorian mode on guitar?

Start with Box 1, frets 6–11. The root note B is on the low E string at fret 7.