Dorian Mode

There are 7 church modes. Excluding Ionian and Aeolian, which essentially correspond to major and minor scales, there are 5 modes to go. This time, I will explain the relatively versatile “Dorian mode” among them.

Terminology Clarification

As explained in the last session, a mode tries to form its center by melodic lines, while chord progressions also form a central point, the tonic chord. Aligning these two centers allows the listener to hear the intended sound of a mode.

With that in mind, we need to discuss the three centers: The center of a mode, the center of a chord progression, and the center actually percieved by the listener. To avoid confusion in terminology, let’s temporarily clarify the usage of terms within this chapter:

• Modal Tonic
  The central point built by the mode (melody line).
• Chordal Tonic
  The central point created by chord progressions.
• Tonal Center
  The overall central point felt by the listener.

So I speak like this: “When a conflict arises between the modal tonic and chordal tonic, the tonal center becomes unclear, resulting in music that is hard to understand. By aligning the modal tonic and chordal tonic, the listener can perceive the right tonal center intnded by the composer.”

1. Structure of Dorian Mode

The Dorian mode retains the members of the major scale but rearranges them with re as the leader.

This is referred to as the “D Dorian mode”. The first thing to check is how it differs from a regular scale. For that, we need to recall “normal scales starting from D”. That would be…

Of course, D major and D minor scales. Compared with them, D Dorian mode is closer to D minor scale. This is because when you create a chord in the “BBQ” style starting from the central D note, you end up with a D minor chord.

Character Note

Now, when we examine the differences between the minor scale and the Dorian mode, it boils down to whether the sixth note is flattened.

When lined up like this, you can clearly see that “Dorian mode” and “natural minor scale” differ by only one note. In other words, the Dorian mode is the “natural minor scale with the sixth note raised by a half step.” If represented on the keyboard, it looks like this.

Therefore, this mode possesses a somewhat floating sensation, making it feel a bit ethereal compared to the regular minor scale. This subtle half-step alteration of a note is what gives rise to an exotic atmosphere. And the note that determines the characteristic of the mode is referred to as the Characteristic Note / Character Note.

2. The Sound of Dorian Mode

Now, let’s revisit the unique sound brought about by the Dorian mode.

The upper one is the familiar D Natural Minor Scale, and the lower one is the D Dorian mode. The difference lies in whether the ♭ is added to the sixth note.

Let’s compare by listening to the same piece in different states.

The upper one is the usual natural minor scale, and the lower one is the Dorian mode. Despite just a half-step difference, it results in various changes in melodic lines and quality-change in chords. The character note indeed contributes to an elevated atmosphere.

Song Examples

Now listen to some actual music. The dorian mode was used not only in church music but also in secular music in medieval Europe, and also in Celtic and Nordic music. The reason for feeling an exotic atmosphere in this mode is likely influenced by these actual cultural aspects.

While attention is often drawn to the uniqueness of the instruments, the scale itself is different from the ordinary ones.

Also, due to this ethnic quality, it is frequently used in game music.

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It has a fantastic and indescribable charm, doesn’t it?

Popular Music and the Dorian Mode

In popular music, the Dorian mode is not commonly used, but it is sometimes employed to utilize its unique atmosphere.

“Papercut” by Zedd starts with an E_m chord and is likely to be in E minor key. but the next chord to come is A, instead of A_m. The melody uses C♯ note in some points like “All that I can hear is breathing“. If we consider the usual major/minor key system, the key that comes to mind featuring both Em and A is the D/Bm key. However, the chords continuously repeat Em and A, and there is no indication of D or B functioning as the tonal center. When listening to the whole sound, the tonal center remains firmly at E. This is a composition typical of the E Dorian mode.

3. Use of the Dorian Mode

Now, up to this point, we’ve been discussing the “D Dorian mode”, but what if we take the most familiar “A Minor Scale” as the basis and modify it to transform it into the Dorian mode?

Since we raise the sixth note by a half-step, A Dorian mode always involves a sharp on F. From here on, let’s proceed with the discussion using this A Dorian mode.

Checking the Rival Key

Recall that, for instance, a D dorian mode song could be mistaken for C/Am key as they’re the same “all-white-key” scales. How about in the case of the A Dorian mode? With one sharp added, it will be…

It’s the same as the G/Em key! Be cautious because, in this way, the Dorian mode always has a “rival” key. To put it another way, the notes G and E are always stealthily eyeing the center’s throne. If you don’t control this properly, there’s a risk of inadvertently turning it into a G/Em key song.

Here’s the same melody as before. However, by progressing the chords in the usual style like A_mDE_m, it ends up becoming the “2-5-6 progression in G/Em key.” When it arrives at Em, you can feel the resolution as the dominant settles into the tonic.

The intended “modal tonic” is A, but the “chordal tonic” is G/Em. When such a conflict occurs, the chordal tonic is the one that wins, as the influence of the chords underlying the melody is immeasurable.

As explained earlier, chords and melodies have to get together to establish a single note as the tonal center. The modal tonic and the chordal tonic must correspond to make it a “composition in the Dorian mode”.

However, establish the right chordal tonic is not such a difficult task. Just play the chords of the modal tonic continuously.

Here is the sample audio from the previous session. The chord stays at VI_m chord, with the bass persistently plays the tonic note throughout. By doing it this way, you can align the positions of the modal tonic and chordal tonic that the listener perceives.

In regular songs, it’s common to start from subdominant-functioning chords to create a mellow atmosphere, but when using the church mode, it’s better to avoid such styles and boldly start and end with the tonic chord. This way, the charm of the mode is more likely to shine.

Well, unless you use the obviously pops-oriented progressions like Am-D-Em, there’s no need to worry too much; your song will automatically be a proper “Dorian mode piece” if you compose it normally.