F dorian chordson the mandolin
Main chords: Fm (i), E♭ (♭VII), B♭ (IV)
The scale: F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭
Drones: No open course is in the Fm chord in this tuning; G and D fit the key. The courses are G D A E, low to high.
Capo 1: play it with E dorian shapes, and every open course is in the key.
Common progressions
- i – ♭VII – i: Fm – E♭ – Fm
- i – ♭VII – IV – i: Fm – E♭ – B♭ – Fm (the major IV is the dorian colour)
- i – ♭III – ♭VII – i: Fm – A♭ – E♭ – Fm (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.