The Dorian b5 Mode – Best Guitar Diagrams and Theory

What is the Dorian b5 mode?

The Dorian b5 scale also referred to as Dorian Diminished or Locrian #2 #6, is the second mode of the harmonic major scale. This is a minor scale built with root (1), second (2), minor third (b3), fourth (4), diminished fifth (b5), sixth (6) and minor seventh (b7).

The Dorian b5 mode is built the same as the second mode of the major scale (Dorian mode), it contains a b5 instead of a natural 5. Notice that it should not be confused with the second mode of the harmonic minor scale named Locrian 13 that contains a b2. The Dorian b5 mode can be used over any half-diminished chord in a minor II-V-I sequence for example.

The chart below show you the difference between the Dorian (b5) mode and the Dorian mode, which is the second mode of the major scale and the most used when improvising over minor chords.

The Locrian 13 mode is the second mode of the harmonic minor scale. It has a b2 instead of a natural 2.

The Dorian b5 mode brings four types of triads :

Two major triads
Two minor triads
One augmented triad
Two diminished triads .
Exemple with the D Dorian b5 mode :

G major (G-B-D)
C major (C-E-G)
E minor (E-G-B)
F minor (F-Ab-C)
Ab augmented (Ab-C-E)
D diminished (D-F-Ab)
Bb diminished (Bb-D-F)

When stacking thirds on each degree of the Dorian b5 mode we obtain these chords.

i m7b5 (9, 11, 13)
ii m7 (b9, b11, b13)
iii minMaj7 (9, #11, 13)
IV7 (b9, 11, 13)
V maj#5 (#9, #11, 13)
VI dim7 (b9, 11, b13)
VII maj7 (9, 11, b13)