C dorian chordson the mandolin
Main chords: Cm (i), B♭ (♭VII), F (IV)
The scale: C D E♭ F G A B♭
Drones: Open G rings in C dorian; D and A fit the key too. The courses are G D A E, low to high.
Capo 3: play it with A dorian shapes, and every open course is in the key.
Common progressions
- i – ♭VII – i: Cm – B♭ – Cm
- i – ♭VII – IV – i: Cm – B♭ – F – Cm (the major IV is the dorian colour)
- i – ♭III – ♭VII – i: Cm – E♭ – B♭ – Cm (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.