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E♭ 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 E♭: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.

Notes in the E♭ dorian mode

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

E♭ dorian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415FGbAbBbCDbFGbBbCDbFGbAbBbCFGbAbBbCDbFAbBbCDbFGbAbBbCDbFGbAbBbCDbFGbAbBbCDbFGb
Eb Dorian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (Eb).
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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 10–15

EADGBe101112131415FGbAbBbCCDbFFGbAbBbBbCDbFGb
Eb Dorian Mode, box 1
e|----------------------------------------------------11-13-14-|
B|-------------------------------------------11-13-14----------|
G|-------------------------------10-11-13-15-------------------|
D|-------------------10-11-13-15-------------------------------|
A|----------11-13-15-------------------------------------------|
E|-11-13-14----------------------------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 1–5

EADGBe12345FGbAbBbCDbFGbAbBbCCDbFGbAb
Eb Dorian Mode, box 2
e|-------------------------------1-2-4-|
B|-------------------------1-2-4-------|
G|-------------------1-3-5-------------|
D|-------------1-3-4-------------------|
A|-------1-3-4-------------------------|
E|-1-2-4-------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 2–8

EADGBe2345678GbAbBbCCDbFFGbAbBbBbCDbDbFGbGbAbBbC
Eb Dorian Mode, box 3
e|-----------------------------------------2-4-6-8-|
B|---------------------------------2-4-6-7---------|
G|-------------------------3-5-6-8-----------------|
D|-----------------3-4-6-8-------------------------|
A|---------3-4-6-8---------------------------------|
E|-2-4-6-8-----------------------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 5–10

EADGBe5678910BbCDbFGbAbBbCCDbFFGbAbBbCDb
Eb Dorian Mode, box 4
e|-------------------------------------------------6--8--9--|
B|----------------------------------------6--7--9-----------|
G|----------------------------5--6--8--10-------------------|
D|-------------------6--8--10-------------------------------|
A|----------6--8--9-----------------------------------------|
E|-6--8--9--------------------------------------------------|

Box 5 · frets 7–12

EADGBe789101112CDbFGbAbBbCDbFGbGbAbBbCDb
Eb Dorian Mode, box 5
e|----------------------------------------------8--9--11-|
B|-------------------------------------7--9--11----------|
G|----------------------------8--10-11-------------------|
D|-------------------8--10-11----------------------------|
A|----------8--9--11-------------------------------------|
E|-8--9--11----------------------------------------------|

3 E♭ minor licks to play with it

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

Root bounce

Picking · Blues

Hop off the root and back to it. Simple, and it fits almost any blues or rock track.

e|----------------|
B|----------------|
G|----11----------|
D|-13----13-11-13-|
A|----------------|
E|----------------|

Rock and roll repeat

Pull-off · Rock

The top-string triplet loop half the rock solos ever played use.

e|-14p-11------14p-11------14p-11------11--|
B|---------14----------14----------14------|
G|-----------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|

Blues curl

Bend · Vibrato · Blues

Nudge the minor third up a half step. That sour-sweet note is the blues.

e|----------------|
B|----------------|
G|-11b½-11--------|
D|-----------13~--|
A|----------------|
E|----------------|

E♭ minor backing track

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

D# Minor Rock Guitar Backing Track (153 bpm) – Sweet Jam Tracks

Songs in E♭ minor

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

All songs in E♭ minor →

Other scales in E♭

Dorian Mode in other keys

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

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FAQ

What notes are in the Eb dorian mode?

Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7.

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

Start with Box 1, frets 10–15. The root note Eb is on the low E string at fret 11.