C# Dorian Scale

Minor with a raised 6th. The 'jam band' minor — smooth, hopeful, funky.

Labels

Root KeyC C#D D#E F F#G G#A A#B

Full neck(1 / 6)

Tap any note on the fretboard to hear it. Root notes are highlighted in brand blue and marked R in interval mode.

Root

C#

Formula

1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7

Notes

C# D# E F# G# A# B

Difficulty

Intermediate

Common Genres

JazzFusionRockFunk

Famous Guitarists Who Use It

Carlos Santana · John Scofield · Trey Anastasio

Signature Licks & Ideas

Target the natural 6 over the min7 to spell Dorian clearly.

How to Practice

Play the scale one octave, ascending and descending, on a single string first.
Then play it across the strings in position — index finger anchored on the root fret.
Loop it slowly with a metronome (start at 60 bpm) before pushing tempo.
Improvise over a backing track in the same key — target the root note on beat 1.

Try This Scale in Another Key

C Dorian C# Dorian D Dorian D# Dorian E Dorian F Dorian F# Dorian G Dorian G# Dorian A Dorian A# Dorian B Dorian

Related Scales in C#

C# Major C# Natural Minor C# Pentatonic Major C# Pentatonic Minor C# Blues C# Harmonic Minor C# Melodic Minor C# Mixolydian

Practice Essentials

Editor-picked gear that makes practice easier. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Boss DB-30 Dr. Beat

Compact, loud enough for practice — polyrhythm support.

Korg TM-60 Tuner-Metronome

Combo device that hangs off a music stand.

Soundbrenner Pulse

Wearable vibrating metronome — feel the click.

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