Harmonic Minor Modes: The Dorian #4
A lot of guitarists know the Harmonic Minor scale and one of its modes,the Phrygian Major. Yet this scale, like the major scale, has seven modes in its group and the others are less frequently talked-about. We'll run a post on each of them over the next few weeks, starting with the Dorian #4.
For easy reference here are the CAGED fingerings exactly as they appear in the Encyclopoedia (white circles are triad arpeggio notes, and in particular white circles with black dots are roots):
The Dorian #4 is -- wait for it -- just a dorian scale with the 4 sharpened. It's a very useful alternative to the straight Dorian scale, which is very commonly heard over minor chords. The sharpened fourth adds a 'blue note' that just gives the scale a bit of a twist. Try this simple E Dorian #4 lick (using the D-shape CAGED fingering) over an Em7 accompaniment:
T---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------8------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A-----------7-----9--7--6---------------------------------------------------------------------- |-----8--9-----------------9--8---------------------------------------------------------------- B--7-----------------------------10--9--7------------------------------------------------------ |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like the Dorian itself, you can also play this scale over dominant chords, which sounds particularly good in a bluesy setting. Try the lick above over E7 to hear the effect. Both these sounds work great whether your style is jazz, rock or even metal. Metalheads may enjoy adding some tapping to the lick like this (+ means the note is tapped):
T---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A--------------------+12--7--+12--9--7--------------------------------------------------------- |---------+14--8--9---------------------+11--9--8---------------------------------------------- B--+13-7-------------------------------------------+10--9-------------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------+10-/12-----------------------------
It's always interesting to see what arpeggios a scale contains besides the one at the root. When playing the Dorian #4, I particularly like emphasising the dominant arpeggio built on the 2:
T-------------------------6--/7---------------------------------------------------------------- |----------------------7---------8------------------------------------------------------------- A----------------6--9---------------9--/11--9-------------------------------------------------- |-------------8--------------------------------11---------------------------------------------- B--7--10--\9---------------------------------------13--9--\7----------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In fact, one way to play E Dorian #4 is simply to mix up the Em7 and F#7 arpeggios; between the two you already have every note in the scale, with only the root note duplicated.
You can also play an augmented arpeggio, also at the 2, and you're still within the scale:
T---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |---------------------7-----8------------------------------------------------------------------ A---------------7--------7-----9--7------------------------------------------------------------ |------------8-----8-----------------8--------------------------------------------------------- B--7--10--9-----------------------------9------7----------------------------------------------- |------------------------------------------10--------------------------------------------------
There are plenty of other possibilities. Here, for example, I'm also using the fact that you can build a fully diminished chord rooted on the #4 note to break up the solo line:
T--------------6-----------------------------6--9--7------------------------------------------- |-----------------8-----------------------8-----------8--7------------------------------------- A--------6--7--------9--7--6--------6--9--------------------9---------------------------------- |--9--8-----------------------9--8------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This kind of arpeggio superimposition is useful because it helps you to learn the scale (assuming you know your arpeggios already!) and to get the sound of it in your head without merely running up and down it scalewise, which can sound good but can also get very boring. The Encyclopoedia, of course, contains all of the possibilities for every single scale displayed in a very compact, efficient form.
