The Composer's Life

Composing with Modes: Dorian

Nadia

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0:00 | 19:36

Dorian is one of those modes that sits in a really interesting place — it’s minor, but without the dark qualities you might expect. It has a sense of movement in it, something slightly open, slightly lifted, and the one note change is enough to completely shift the mood.

In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I explore how the Dorian mode behaves when you start writing with it, and why it often feels both melancholic and strangely hopeful at the same time.

This is the second of a seven part series where I break down each musical mode so you can use in your own composing.

To get more help with the concept, here's an article that contains music examples, video explanations, and a pdf with all the Dorian scales:

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