While you *can* use the Dorian scale over a 12 bar blues… that’s not the most common way I see it used.

More often than not, I see it used over “bluesy” songs and not “blues” songs.

Deja Voodoo by Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an example, along with songs like Spooky and Oye Como Va – not necessarily blues classics, but great tunes that come up often, nonetheless.

So in this video I’ll show you how to play it, and some ideas for practicing it and using it.

You can find out more about Modes for Blues and Classic Rock music in my Modes Unleashed course.


    15 replies to "Using The Dorian Mode"

    • Jim

      One thing (at least) confused me. Can what you were demonstrating be described as both G Dorian or Am Pentatonic plus? (Not Am Dorian.) Somehow I suspect the ‘standard’ II-V-I jazz progression is somewhere in this neighborhood?

    • Victor

      Please do a broken 3rd tab .my attempts at making one myself seem incorrect

    • Jeffrey Stone

      Tab for skipping Dorian–verbal,video not clear–

    • Greg J Smith

      Thanks I need all the help I can get hahaha stay healthy everybody! πŸ˜ŽπŸ’¨πŸ˜·

    • tommytubetone

      I had planned on tackling something else today. Next thing I know I’m tabbing out leapfrogging in A. That’s the way it seems to go with me. πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜Ž

    • stephen Bowyer

      for a little additional fun, besides the a minor scale (form 1) one can play e minor (form 3) and B minor (form 5) in the same 5th fret position.

    • Ricardo

      Since you are leap-frogging through the scale and to harmonize the scale you leap-frog through the scale to create chords, aren’t you playing the arpeggio of each triad as you leap-frog through the scale?

      • Griff

        If you leap frog twice, you are playing an arpeggio. With what I show in the video, you’re only playing 3rds, so it’s commonly called broken thirds.

    • Jason Haun

      Great class thx u

    • Keith

      Awesome lesson as always love this Mode & mixing it with the minor sounds awesome 😎🎸🎢

    • Eddie

      Riders on the Storm by the Doors is another example of the Dorian mode being used.

    • Frank Dalton

      Thanks Griff, I have been playing around with this scale for a while. I didn’t know what it was called. I love the broken 3rds idea. Yet another very helpful lesson.

    • David

      Allman Brothers come to mind also. Great lesson.
      Thank you .

      • Bill

        Whipping Post

    • Chris G

      That’s a very nice sound Griff. I guess it’s where Carlos came in with the “first” Album, on the tracks Savor and Soul Sacrifice which are both mainly (I think) II-V vamps.

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