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

Notes in the F dorian mode

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

F dorian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415GAbBbCDEbGBbCDEbGAbBbCDEbGAbBbCDEbGAbBbCDEbGAbBbCDEbGAbBbCDGAbBbCDEbG
F Dorian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (F).
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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 1–5

EADGBe12345GAbBbCDDEbGGAbBbCCDEbGAb
F Dorian Mode, box 1
e|-------------------------------1-3-4-|
B|-------------------------1-3-4-------|
G|-------------------1-3-5-------------|
D|-------------1-3-5-------------------|
A|-------1-3-5-------------------------|
E|-1-3-4-------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 2–7

EADGBe234567GAbBbCDEbGAbBbCDDEbGAbBb
F Dorian Mode, box 2
e|-------------------------------3-4-6-|
B|-------------------------3-4-6-------|
G|-------------------3-5-7-------------|
D|-------------3-5-6-------------------|
A|-------3-5-6-------------------------|
E|-3-4-6-------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 4–10

EADGBe45678910AbBbCDDEbGGAbBbCCDEbEbGAbAbBbCD
F Dorian Mode, box 3
e|-------------------------------------------------------------4--6--8--10-|
B|-------------------------------------------------4--6--8--9--------------|
G|-------------------------------------5--7--8--10-------------------------|
D|-------------------------5--6--8--10-------------------------------------|
A|-------------5--6--8--10-------------------------------------------------|
E|-4--6--8--10-------------------------------------------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 7–12

EADGBe789101112CDEbGAbBbCDDEbGGAbBbCDEb
F Dorian Mode, box 4
e|-------------------------------------------------8--10-11-|
B|----------------------------------------8--9--11----------|
G|----------------------------7--8--10-12-------------------|
D|-------------------8--10-12-------------------------------|
A|----------8--10-11----------------------------------------|
E|-8--10-11-------------------------------------------------|

Box 5 · frets 9–14

EADGBe91011121314DEbGAbBbCDEbGAbAbBbCDEb
F Dorian Mode, box 5
e|----------------------------------------------10-11-13-|
B|-------------------------------------9--11-13----------|
G|----------------------------10-12-13-------------------|
D|-------------------10-12-13----------------------------|
A|----------10-11-13-------------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13----------------------------------------------|

3 F minor licks to play with it

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

Low riff

Picking · Rock

A riff on the two lowest strings. Good for answering a vocal line.

e|----------------|
B|----------------|
G|----------------|
D|----------------|
A|-------13-------|
E|-13-16----16-13-|

Slide into the root

Slide · Blues

Slide up the D string into the root, step out, and come back.

e|-----------------|
B|-----------------|
G|---------13------|
D|-13/-15------15--|
A|-----------------|
E|-----------------|

Top-string bend

Bend · Vibrato · Rock

Bend on the top string three times, then drop home.

e|-13------16b-16b-16b-13~-|
B|-----13------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|

F minor backing track

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

Slow Blues Guitar Backing Track F Minor – erto sound

Songs in F minor

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

All songs in F minor →

Other scales in F

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 F dorian mode?

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

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

Start with Box 1, frets 1–5. The root note F is on the low E string at fret 1.