B dorian chordson the mandolin
Main chords: Bm (i), A (♭VII), E (IV)
The scale: B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A
Drones: Open D rings in B dorian; A and E fit the key too. The courses are G D A E, low to high.
Capo 2: play it with A dorian shapes, and every open course is in the key.
Common progressions
- i – ♭VII – i: Bm – A – Bm
- i – ♭VII – IV – i: Bm – A – E – Bm (the major IV is the dorian colour)
- i – ♭III – ♭VII – i: Bm – D – A – Bm (up to ♭III and home through ♭VII)
Basis: A count of 686 session tunes found A and E dorian 19%, against 3% for E and B minor (Brendan Power forum), so minor-sounding tunes are mostly dorian; the IV is major, and ♭VII leads home.