E♭ dorian ♯4 scale on drop D guitar

E♭ · F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C · D♭

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 24 · Modes.

The notes

  1. E♭1
  2. F2
  3. G♭♭3
  4. A♯4
  5. B♭5
  6. C6
  7. D♭♭7

The E♭ dorian ♯4 scale is E♭, F, G♭, A, B♭, C, D♭.

You may also see it called Ukrainian dorian · Romanian minor · 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7.

On the staff

E♭FG♭AB♭CD♭E♭

On a treble staff, the E♭ dorian ♯4 scale is written E♭ F G♭ A B♭ C D♭.

This is one octave of the E♭ dorian ♯4 scale, written on the treble clef. Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, and the small 8 under the clef is the sign for that.

Why the E♭ dorian ♯4 scale has these flats

  1. E♭1
  2. T
  3. F2
  4. S
  5. G♭♭3
  6. T+S
  7. A♯4
  8. S
  9. B♭5
  10. T
  11. C6
  12. S
  13. D♭♭7
  14. T
  15. E♭8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is T S T+S S T S T: a tone, a semitone, a tone and a half, and so on. S stands for a semitone, the distance of one fret or one key. T stands for a tone, which is two semitones. T+S stands for a tone and a half, which is three semitones. The pattern is what gives E♭ dorian ♯4 its sound, and it stays the same whichever note you start on.

The second rule is that a seven-note scale uses each letter name once, from A to G, so its seven notes take seven different letters. That is why E♭ dorian ♯4 is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Together, the two rules leave no room for choice. If you walk the pattern up from E♭, three letters cannot keep up:

  • G♭ — the flat third. The pattern needs a semitone from F, but F to G is only a tone, so G has to fall to G♭.
  • B♭ — the fifth. The pattern needs a semitone from A, but A to B is only a tone, so B has to fall to B♭.
  • D♭ — the flat seventh. The pattern needs a semitone from C, but C to D is only a tone, so D has to fall to D♭.

None of those accidentals was a choice. Once you pick the note to start on, the pattern decides the rest, and a key signature is a record of the result.

The E♭ dorian ♯4 scale is written with E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭. E♭ has its accidental because that is the key, and the other notes need theirs because the T S T+S S T S T pattern of steps cannot be spelled from E♭ with plain letters.

The pattern of steps is the part of a scale that never changes. The letter names take sharps or flats to fit that pattern, and a key signature is a record of those sharps or flats.

On the piano

6CDE2FG♯4AB6CDE2FG♯4AB6CDE2FG♯4AB6CDE2FG♯4AB6C♭7D♭1E♭♭3G♭G♯5B♭♭7D♭1E♭♭3G♭G♯5B♭♭7D♭1E♭♭3G♭G♯5B♭♭7D♭1E♭♭3G♭G♯5B♭C2C3C4C5C6

The keyboard shows the same seven notes as a shape you can see. The coloured keys are the E♭ dorian ♯4 scale, and you can click any key to hear it.

E♭ dorian ♯4 scale on the whole neck

DADGBE123456789101112131415E♭1F2G♭♭3A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7E♭1F2A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7E♭1F2G♭♭3A♯4B♭5C6E♭1F2G♭♭3A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7E♭1F2A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7E♭1F2G♭♭3A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7E♭1F2G♭♭3A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7F2G♭♭3A♯4B♭5C6D♭♭7E♭1F2G♭♭3

79 notes of the E♭ dorian ♯4 scale are marked across six strings.

This is every place the notes of the E♭ dorian ♯4 scale fall on the drop D guitar, with each note's name and its scale degree. The roots are marked so you can find your bearings.

Position by position

Position 1 — starts on the 1
DADGBE12345612♭356♭712♭3♯4566♭712♭3♯4
Position 2 — starts on the 2
DADGBE3456782♭3♯46♭712♭3♯456♭712♭3♯45
Position 3 — starts on the ♭3
DADGBE456789♭3♯45♭712♭3♯456♭7112♭3♯456
Position 4 — starts on the ♯4
DADGBE789101112♯456♭72♭3♯456♭712♭3♭3♯456♭71
Position 5 — starts on the 5
DADGBE891011121356♭72♭3♯456♭712♭3♯456♭71
Position 6 — starts on the 6
DADGBE1011121314156♭71♯456♭712♭3♯4♯456♭712♭3
Position 7 — starts on the ♭7
DADGBE111213141516♭712♯456♭712♭3♯4556♭712♭3

The E♭ dorian ♯4 scale has seven playable positions, at frets 1–5, 3–7, 4–8, 7–11, 8–12, 10–14 and 11–15.

Each shape starts on a different degree of the scale and fits inside five frets, so your hand can play all of it without moving.

One climb up the neck

DADGBE1234567891012♭3♯456♭712♭3♯456♭712♭3♯456♭7TAB134013413423564675689

The climb runs from fret 0 to fret 9 and plays 21 notes.

This is one path from the lowest root to the top of the neck, and it plays each note once, never on two strings. It takes a different number of notes on different strings. The widest stretch on any one string is four frets.