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

Notes in the G dorian mode

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

G dorian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415EFABbCDEFABbCDEFABbCDEFABbCDEFABbCDEFABbCDEFABbCDEFABbCDEF
G Dorian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (G).
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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 2–7

EADGBe234567ABbCDEEFAABbCDDEFABb
G Dorian Mode, box 1
e|-----------------------------------3-5-6-|
B|-----------------------------3-5-6-------|
G|---------------------2-3-5-7-------------|
D|-------------2-3-5-7---------------------|
A|-------3-5-7-----------------------------|
E|-3-5-6-----------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 4–9

EADGBe456789ABbCDEFABbCDEEFABbC
G Dorian Mode, box 2
e|-------------------------------5-6-8-|
B|-------------------------5-6-8-------|
G|-------------------5-7-9-------------|
D|-------------5-7-8-------------------|
A|-------5-7-8-------------------------|
E|-5-6-8-------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 6–12

EADGBe6789101112BbCDEEFAABbCDDEFFABbBbCDE
G Dorian Mode, box 3
e|-------------------------------------------------------------6--8--10-12-|
B|-------------------------------------------------6--8--10-11-------------|
G|-------------------------------------7--9--10-12-------------------------|
D|-------------------------7--8--10-12-------------------------------------|
A|-------------7--8--10-12-------------------------------------------------|
E|-6--8--10-12-------------------------------------------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 9–14

EADGBe91011121314DEFABbCDEEFAABbCDEF
G Dorian Mode, box 4
e|-------------------------------------------------10-12-13-|
B|----------------------------------------10-11-13----------|
G|----------------------------9--10-12-14-------------------|
D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------------|
A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------------|
E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------------|

Box 5 · frets 11–16

EADGBe111213141516EFABbCDEFABbBbCDEF
G Dorian Mode, box 5
e|----------------------------------------------12-13-15-|
B|-------------------------------------11-13-15----------|
G|----------------------------12-14-15-------------------|
D|-------------------12-14-15----------------------------|
A|----------12-13-15-------------------------------------|
E|-12-13-15----------------------------------------------|

3 G minor licks to play with it

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

Octave answer

Picking · Soulful

Root, a step down from the top, then the root an octave up.

e|-----3-|
B|---6---|
G|-------|
D|-5-----|
A|-------|
E|-------|

Trill tease

Hammer-on · Pull-off · Funky

Hammer and pull between two notes, then drop to the root.

e|-------------------|
B|-------------------|
G|-3h-5p-3h-5p-3-----|
D|----------------5--|
A|-------------------|
E|-------------------|

Bend and cry

Bend · Vibrato · Blues

Two bends, a fall down the box, and a long root.

e|-6b-3--------------|
B|-------6b-3--------|
G|-------------5-----|
D|----------------5~-|
A|-------------------|
E|-------------------|

G minor backing track

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

Smooth Slow Blues in G minor | Guitar Backing Track – AUsher Jam Tracks

Songs in G minor

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

All songs in G minor →

Other scales in G

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 G dorian mode?

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

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

Start with Box 1, frets 2–7. The root note G is on the low E string at fret 3.