Chords in F# Dorian

F# Dorian is built from the notes F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# and E. Its scale carries 4 sharps. Harmonising that scale in thirds gives seven chords — 3 majors, 3 minors and 1 diminished — starting on F#m as the i. The chord on the fifth degree is C#m rather than a major V, so F# Dorian has no leading tone and resolves by step and colour instead of by dominant pull — the sound that separates it from a plain F# major.

Beyond those seven, F# Dorian commonly borrows F# (I), A#m (iii), B (IV), C# (V) and D#m (vi) from the parallel major — the mixture chords that give a progression somewhere unexpected to go.