F Dorian #4 Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
F Dorian #4 in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The F Dorian #4 scale, known in Eastern Europe as the Ukrainian Dorian or Misheberak, has a deeply soulful, crying quality. On Guitar, the notes are F, G, Ab, B, C, D, Eb. 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: F, G, Ab, B, C, D, Eb
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: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
Also known as: ukrainian dorian, romanian minor, altered dorian
About Drop B Tuning
Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.
Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.
Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure
Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- F Dorian #4 in Standard Tuning
- F Dorian #4 in Drop D
- F Dorian #4 in DADGAD
- F Dorian #4 in Open G
- F Dorian #4 in Baritone (B Standard)
- F Dorian #4 in 7-string
- F Dorian #4 in 8-string
- F Dorian #4 in Drop C
- F Dorian #4 in Open D
- F Dorian #4 in Half Step Down
- F Dorian #4 in Open E
- F Dorian #4 in Open A
- F Dorian #4 in Double Drop D
- F Dorian #4 in Open C