B Dorian #4 Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
B Dorian #4 in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The B Dorian #4 scale, known in Eastern Europe as the Ukrainian Dorian or Misheberak, has a deeply soulful, crying quality. On Guitar, the notes are B, C#, D, F, F#, G#, A. It is a pillar of Jewish Klezmer music and traditional Balkan folk songs. Commonly used in Klezmer, Balkan Folk, Metal, Film Scores. Notable players include Itzhak Perlman, Bregovic, System of a Down. Use over m7 chords in Klezmer and Balkan contexts. The #4 adds the exotic 'weeping' quality that defines these traditions.
Notes: B, C#, D, F, F#, G#, A
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4A, 5P, 6M, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 b3 #4 5 6 b7
Formula: W-H-WH-H-W-H-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
Also known as: ukrainian dorian, romanian minor, altered dorian
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Musical Character
Also known as the Ukrainian Dorian or Misheberak mode. The #4 within a minor context creates the characteristic 'crying' quality of Jewish and Eastern European music.