Dorian sharp 4 mode — the 4th mode of the harmonic minor scale
Lately in my improvisations I have been experimenting a lot with the sound of the Dorian ♯4 mode (Dorian sharp 4 — not to be confused with the Dorian mode) — and have found myself drawn to its melancholy, unsettled, dark, suspended, exotic and mysterious sound. In my style of piano improvisation I tend to use harmonic progressions within a mode by finding chords that are diatonic to that mode; and orbiting around the tonic triad, or frequently returning to that tonic triad, in order to keep the sense of the tonal centre of that mode. In the case of the Dorian sharp 4 mode, that tonic triad is a minor chord, hence its melancholy sound. I often like to modulate to different keys/modes within a piece of music too. By contrast, a lot of improvisers favour the evocative sound created by playing static vamps (this involves staying on one chord for extended periods), which can be used to very beautiful and atmospheric effect. Whichever kind of improvisation you personally prefer is influenced by taste, musical background, and the kinds of characters and moods you are needing to express. You can read a bit more about the difference in my article here: What I Mean by “Modal Improvisation”: Harmonic Movement Within the Modes
Either way, the Dorian ♯4 mode provides a very colourful expressive palette. Despite its tense and unresolved sound, it can be quite lyrical due to its minor 3rd and raised 6th (if comparing with natural minor); and that sharpened 4th which gives chord II its major quality can create an unexpected brightness. You can read more about the Roman numerals chord naming system and how it relates to chord quality here: Understanding Extended Roman Numerals in Music Theory: Major, Minor, Diminished and Augmented Chords Explained
How to work out the Dorian ♯4 mode
The Dorian ♯4 mode is the fourth mode of the harmonic minor scale, and its formula is:
1 2 ♭3 #4 5 6 ♭7
Parent scale method
This means, if you want to work out the C Dorian ♯4 mode, for example, you can do this by working out the parent scale first: C is a 4th above G, so G harmonic minor must be the parent scale. The notes of the G harmonic minor scale are: G A B♭ C D E♭ F♯. To work out the 4th mode of this scale, play the same notes but starting on the 4th note of this scale — C. This gives you C D E♭ F♯ G A B♭.
So the C Dorian ♯4 mode is C D E♭ F♯ G A B♭.
Scale formula method
An alternative way of working it out would be to take a C major scale and use the scale formula for the Dorian sharp 4 mode to adjust it — the scale formula being:
1 2 ♭3 #4 5 6 ♭7
The C major scale (before adjustments) is: C D E F G A B
If you flatten the 3rd, (according to the scale formula which says “♭3”) you get E♭. If you sharpen the 4th, you get F♯. If you flatten the 7th, you get B♭.
And so you end up with: C D E♭ F♯ G A B♭
Mode table with note names and parent scales
Here is a table showing all 12 Dorian ♯4 modes, their parent scales, and note names:
| Dorian ♯4 mode | Notes of the mode | Parent harmonic minor scale |
| C Dorian ♯4 | C D E♭ F♯ G A B♭ | G harmonic minor |
| C♯ Dorian ♯4 | C♯ D♯ E F𝄪 G♯ A♯ B | G♯ harmonic minor |
| D Dorian ♯4 | D E F G♯ A B C | A harmonic minor |
| E♭ Dorian ♯4 | E♭ F G♭ A B♭ C D♭ | B♭ harmonic minor |
| E Dorian ♯4 | E F♯ G A♯ B C♯ D | B harmonic minor |
| F Dorian ♯4 | F G A♭ B C D E♭ | C harmonic minor |
| F♯ Dorian ♯4 | F♯ G♯ A B♯ C♯ D♯ E | C♯ harmonic minor |
| G Dorian ♯4 | G A B♭ C♯ D E F | D harmonic minor |
| A♭ Dorian ♯4 | A♭ B♭ C♭ D E♭ F G♭ | E♭ harmonic minor |
| A Dorian ♯4 | A B C D♯ E F♯ G | E harmonic minor |
| B♭ Dorian ♯4 | B♭ C D♭ E F G A♭ | F harmonic minor |
| B Dorian ♯4 | B C♯ D E♯ F♯ G♯ A | F♯ harmonic minor |
You can learn more about modes in general in my guide here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
Listen to some of my piano improvisations using the Dorian ♯4 mode
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