American songbook melody based on Dorian mode

[vance h]

To help me ground myself in the Dorian mode, I am looking for a standard whose melody is based on that mode that I can use as a reference point. Thanks

[BWV]

The songbook is all functional harmony, no Dorian there. Try So What or Impressions

[docsteve]

"Summertime" is the closest I can think of, but the melody is not Dorian, there is no major sixth in it.

[medblues]

Eleanor Rigby has the major sixth in the verse but is mainly Aeolian. Scarborough Fair is Dorian melody. Hendrix's Purple Haze (solo part ?) and many Santana songs if you want to venture into rock.

[grahambop]

Little Sunflower by Freddie Hubbard.

[ragman1]

What Graham said. There are backing tracks on You Tube.

[GTRMan]

"Jazz Standards" (post '59) as opposed to "American Songbook" should provide a lot of examples.

[grahambop]

Invitation.

[ragman1]

The melody of Scarborough Fair is Dorian. Not a standard as such but jazzers like Wes Montgomery and Herbie Hancock have done versions of it. Also on You Tube.

[GTRMan]

The melody of Scarborough Fair is Dorian. Not a standard as such but jazzers like Wes Montgomery and Herbie Hancock have done versions of it. Also on You Tube.

Right. Not a twentieth century Great American Songbook standard by any means, lol. 'Twas intended to evoke a certain Renaissance, or even Medieval mood, yes?

[grahambop]

Stolen Moments.

[ragman1]

Right. Not a twentieth century Great American Songbook standard by any means, lol.

We said that.

'Twas intended to evoke a certain Renaissance, or even Medieval mood, yes?

Scarborough Fair (ballad) - Wikipedia

[ragman1]

Stolen Moments.

Yes, the melody of that one is strictly C Dorian. I wasn't sure about Invitation. I haven't analysed it properly. Lots of different Dorians? That one's more complex.

Anyway, the OP's hardly stuck for choice now :-)

[christianm77]

Yeah invitation is dorian. Good catch! Don’t know why I didn’t think of that one. And that is GASB tune (albeit from a movie.)

[christianm77]

Not GASB but from the pre-modal era.

Six Appeal - Charlie Christian (I think)

Middle 8 of ‘Douce Ambience’ (Django)

Dorian is a very ‘folky’ natural sound; predates modern tonality.

[grahambop]

Footprints
Recorda-me

[rintincop]

I cannot think of a dorian tune by Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Jimmy Van Heusen, Hoagy Carmichael, or Harold Arlen.

[BWV]

Right. Not a twentieth century Great American Songbook standard by any means, lol. 'Twas intended to evoke a certain Renaissance, or even Medieval mood, yes?

It actually is a tune from that period

[vance h]

Thank you all for your helpful responses—exactly what I was hoping for, and I wouldn’t have come up with any of the songs on my own. I’ll go track down that other thread now. Be well. Vance

[christianm77]

Hooray, JGO forum actually helps out OP for once!!!

[sgcim]

"Dearly Beloved" sounds like one.

[grahambop]

[WILSON 1]

To help me ground myself in the Dorian mode, I am looking for a standard whose melody is based on that mode that I can use as a reference point. Thanks

Seeing "Autumn Leaves" in G.

A Dorian gives you the entire melody with an additional Ab.

[jameslovestal]

Seeing "Autumn Leaves" in G.

A Dorian gives you the entire melody with an additional Ab.

I'm confused; aren't the notes of A Dorian, A, B, C, D, E, F# G (since G major is G, A, B, C, D, E, F#).

What is this "additional Ab"?


Thanks!

[vance h]

Thanks again, all. And special thanks to Grahambop for introducing me to Maxine Sullivan. I’m definitely going to seek out more of her work. Vance.

[grahambop]

Thanks again, all. And special thanks to Grahambop for introducing me to Maxine Sullivan. I’m definitely going to seek out more of her work. Vance.

Yes her voice is beautiful on that song, I should also check her out properly.

I don’t know how I remembered that tune, I knew there was an interesting old minor key song I had heard on the radio years ago, but I couldn’t remember what it was. Then the next morning as soon as I thought about it again, the phrase ‘ribbon bow’ popped into my mind and that was enough for me to find it.

Strange how the unconscious memory works!

[ragman1]

I'm confused; aren't the notes of A Dorian, A, B, C, D, E, F# G (since G major is G, A, B, C, D, E, F#).

What is this "additional Ab"?


Thanks!

Well, first, it's usually in Em (but sometimes in Gm).

Dorian of Em is D maj. That's D E F# G A B C#. That accounts for the whole melody except the D# (from E melodic minor). There's also an A# passing note - see chart. So it's not really 'in Dorian', that's a bit of a stretch :-)

[WILSON 1]

I'm confused; aren't the notes of A Dorian, A, B, C, D, E, F# G (since G major is G, A, B, C, D, E, F#).

What is this "additional Ab"?


Thanks!

Whoops...my bad. Eb not Ab sorry for the bad night sleep.

You can play the entire melody in A dorian mapped above with an additional Eb.

Easy to memorize and transpose too as ii-7 V7 I IV vii-7b5 III7

That III7 is all you have to remember.