Guitar UpscaleRomanian Minor (Ukrainian Dorian) scale on guitar
Romanian minor is Dorian with a raised fourth, a klezmer and Eastern European folk sound.
| Notes in A | A B C D# E F# G |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 2 b3 #4 5 6 b7 |
| Steps | W H W+H H W H W (W whole step, H half step) |
| Note count | 7 |
| Style in the app | Gypsy, scale "Romanian Minor" |
Play the A Romanian Minor scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale
About the Romanian Minor (Ukrainian Dorian) scale
It is the fourth mode of harmonic minor. Next to Dorian, only the 4th is raised.
The gap from the flat 3rd to the raised 4th gives the folk colour of klezmer music. It is also called Ukrainian Dorian or Misheberakh.
Play it over a minor chord, and lean on the raised 4th as it rises to the 5th.
Intervals from the root
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | In A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A |
| 2 | Major 2nd | 2 | B |
| b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 | C |
| #4 | Tritone | 6 | D# |
| 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 | E |
| 6 | Major 6th | 9 | F# |
| b7 | Minor 7th | 10 | G |
Chords in the A Romanian Minor scale
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each note. These chords sound at home with the scale, so they make good progressions.
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Am7 |
| II | B | B7 |
| bIII | C | Cmaj7 |
| #iv° | Ebdim | Ebdim7 |
| v | Em | EmMaj7 |
| vi° | F#dim | F#m7b5 |
| bVII+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 |
Same notes, another starting note
Start the A Romanian Minor scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:
- From degree 2 (B): B Phrygian Dominant scale
- From degree b3 (C): C Lydian #2 scale
- From degree #4 (D#): Eb Ultralocrian scale
- From degree 5 (E): E Harmonic Minor scale
- From degree 6 (F#): F# Locrian Natural 6 scale
- From degree b7 (G): G Ionian #5 scale
Romanian Minor scale in every key
| Key | Notes | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C D Eb F# G A Bb | Open |
| C# | C# D# E G G# A# B | Open |
| D | D E F G# A B C | Open |
| Eb | Eb F Gb A Bb C Db | Open |
| E | E F# G A# B C# D | Open |
| F | F G Ab B C D Eb | Open |
| F# | F# G# A B# C# D# E | Open |
| G | G A Bb C# D E F | Open |
| G# | G# A# B D D# E# F# | Open |
| A | A B C D# E F# G | Open |
| Bb | Bb C Db E F G Ab | Open |
| B | B C# D E# F# G# A | Open |