This is from the Jamzone where we are looking at soloing using the D Dorian Mode over a 2-5-1 progression in the Key of C major. We also take a look at the nifty little double stop technique, which is very common in Jazz.

Make sure you've practiced the Dorian mode at fret 10.

The Dorian mode is considered minor because it has an interval of a minor third between D (root note) and F (third note). This can be used to give a different flavour to your solos. Now our backing chord progression is strongly major in feel, so any melody will still tend to sound quite breezy and bright, even with a minor scale played over the top.

Remember that the difference between modes is subtle, and with all music the feelings produced are heavily influenced by the backing music. If we used slower, minor chords in the backing chords (particularly with D and F notes in them) then the dorian mode could be used to produce much more melancholic melodies.

We are just playing little jazzy phrases here, in the same way as we've been doing so far in the previous mode lessons. However, notice that this time we make use of Double Stops (discussed in the main article).

We talked about what they are in that article so we won't go into it again here. However, we do want to draw attention to how these double stops are played. Notice that we use slides, muting and vibrato. Nothing too fancy, but keep things brisk and choppy. This is very typical of most jazz styles, so practice doing it with your own licks!

Also notice that we emphasise the B note a lot. Remember that the backing music is in the key of C major. In the C major scale B is the 7th note (a very important note in Jazz). However, remember that we consider the Dorian mode a D scale (not a C major scale). The note that distinguishes the D Dorian scale apart from the standard D natural minor scale is that B note! How convenient:

D Minor: D E F G A Bb C D
D Dorian: D E F G A B C D

This note is a big part of the character of the D dorian mode. Learn where it occurs in the scale, and remember the positions:

here and here

If you ever shift the scale pattern to play in another key, just remember those 2 note positions are important! Emphasise them in your solos and you'll sound more jazzy.