what is the dorian scale?

Answer 1

One way of thinking of the Dorian scale is that if it is based on D, it is all white keys. D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D. Its chords are D minor (DFA), G major (GBD), A minor (ACE), E minor(EGB), F major (FAC), and B diminished (BDF). It has one less flat or one more sharp than the corresponding minor key. So since F-sharp minor has 3 sharps, F-sharp Dorian has 4.

To make a piece sound like it is really in Dorian, you need to differentiate it from minor. The G major chord needs to come in frequently, for instance, and the A minor as well (D minor usually uses the harmonic A major or the A7 chord), and it may be good to add the B natural to the D chord to make it a Dmin6.

Examples of pieces in Dorian are Into the Burning Circle and Dancing with the Lion (from Dancing in the Lion by Andreas Vollenweider) and Dial Out (from Direct) by Vangelis, which starts in Dorian and then goes into minor. Shake your Booty by KC and the Sunshine Band starts out in Dorian, but its secondary theme is in ordinary minor.

Wikipedia says that at one time Dorian referred to a scale which if it were in E would be all white keys (EFGABCDE), but that is now called Phyrgian.

Answer 2

Like on a piano, from d to d on the white keys.
In terms of whole/half steps, it's
whole, half, whole, whole, whole half, whole