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Improvisation · Advanced · 5 min

Add the Dorian Sixth

A minor pentatonic phrase with one added note, F sharp, that changes its color.

How to play it
  1. Play the phrase and listen for the F sharp on string 2 fret 7.
  2. Loop it and improvise with the pentatonic, adding F sharp on purpose.
  3. Resolve to A or C, not to F sharp. The sixth is color, not home.

What the coach checks: Pitch of each note in order.

Goal96 BPM · 80% accuracy
Your bestNo result yet
Rating–

Tab player

Hear the line

eBGDAE12

Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.

100% is the goal tempo, 96 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal

Your practice room

Find each note

Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.

This checkpoint needs 96 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.

Exercise map · 9 targets
  1. 1. A3Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 4 · fret 7
  2. 2. C4Bar 1 · beat 1.5 · string 3 · fret 5
  3. 3. D4Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 3 · fret 7
  4. 4. E4Bar 1 · beat 2.5 · string 2 · fret 5
  5. 5. F♯4Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 2 · fret 7
  6. 6. E4Bar 1 · beat 3.5 · string 2 · fret 5
  7. 7. D4Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 3 · fret 7
  8. 8. C4Bar 1 · beat 4.5 · string 3 · fret 5
  9. 9. A3Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 4 · fret 7

Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.

Target 1 of 9A3String 4 · fret 7

Play one note at a time.

Tune first. Audio stays on this device.

Why this drill

Adding one note to a scale you already own is a quick route to a new sound. The major sixth over a minor chord is the sound of a lot of soul, funk and jazz-rock soloing.

Common mistakes

  1. Resolving to F sharp

    Fix: F sharp is color, not home. End on A or C, as the phrase does, and let F sharp pass through.

  2. Stretching for the sixth

    Fix: F sharp at string 2 fret 7 sits under the ring finger in the fifth-position box, between E at fret 5 and G at fret 8. No stretch needed.

  3. Using it over the wrong chord

    Fix: F sharp clashes with an F major chord. Use the Dorian sixth over Am, Am7 or a vamp from Am to D, where F sharp belongs to the D chord. Over Am to F, leave it out and play F natural instead.

Tempo plan

100% is the goal tempo, 96 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.

  1. Learn 72 BPM · 75%Listen for F sharp, the fifth note of the phrase and its peak.
  2. Build 79 BPM · 82%Play the phrase, then improvise one bar of your own in the same box with F sharp in it once.
  3. Push 87 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
  4. Goal 96 BPM · 100%Nine eighth notes, F sharp clearly heard, landing back on the low A in time. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
  5. Stretch 106 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.

Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.

Make it music

Over an Am7 vamp, alternate a bar of plain A minor pentatonic with a bar that uses F sharp. The contrast between the two is the whole effect. In the drill, F sharp falls on beat 3, a strong beat, which is why it stands out; in your own lines, put it on a strong beat or a held note for the same lift.

Variation

Add B, the ninth, at string 3 fret 4 or string 1 fret 7, and the box holds the full A Dorian scale: A, B, C, D, E, F sharp and G.

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