Learn a dorian lick
Lesson time: (3min 32sec)
Jono McNeil teaches a Dorian lick in D minor, breaking it into small chunks so you can build it up section by section.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Licks, Riffs & Runs for Pop Singers
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Dorian Lick Lesson
So we're going to learn this Dorian lick in several chunks. This means we can learn it in smaller sections that help it to be a bit more easily learned.
Key Information
- Key: D minor
- First Note: A
Introduction
Take your time, keep it slow. Here we go:
1, 2, 3, 4.
Whoa, yeah.
Oh, yeah. Moving between O and air.
First Section
Let's try that together. I'll teach the first section:
1, 2, 3, 4.
Whoa, yeah.
Try it with me:
Whoa, yeah.
Do you want to join me?
Whoa, yeah.
Two more:
Whoa, yeah.
Last time:
Whoa, yeah.
Ascending the Scale
Then we go up one, two, three, four, five notes.
So.
Whoa, yeah.
One, two, three, four, five. Up that Dorian scale.
Try that together:
Three and four and Whoa, yeah.
And see, that's our flat seven at the top there. It's a lovely bit of kind of crunch in the scale.
Vocalization
Try it again with me:
3 and 4.
Now let me take you down from the peak of that scale.
Yeah, try that, Alicia.
Yeah, that's it. That's it.
Singing Practice
So we're going to sing:
Whoa, yeah.
Try it together:
And Whoa, yeah.
Then we just change back to O and it's the same phrase we started with:
Whoa, yeah.
Recap
That's the end phrase and the beginning phrase, exactly the same. Let me take you through that slowly and then I'll get Alicia to join me:
Three and four.
Whoa, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Try it.
Amazing. She's amazing. Great.
Your Turn
Try it:
Three and four, your turn.
Whoa.
And again:
Whoa, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Do you want to help out the girls?
Whoa, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Last time by ourselves:
Whoa, yeah.
Backing Track
Great! So let's try this with our backing track. We're going to try this half time, and then when you're feeling a bit more confident,
for anyone who feels like they're ready to push themselves, we're going to go into double time, which will be quite quick.
But if you've done your time with that slow tempo, this should be okay.
So, shall we have a listen to our backing track to start with?
About the instructor

Jono McNeil has provided vocal coaching for professional singers, contemporary artists and vocalists in a range of influential positions within the entertainment industry for over 20 years. He works as a vocal coach across a variety of TV shows including The Voice Kids, The Voice UK, Little Mix The Search, The Masked Singer, Wedding Day Winners and Change Your Tune, and coaches touring acts such as JLS, New Rules and July Jones to name a few. An artist and singer in his own right, Jono has also performed with Michael Buble, Paloma Faith, Josh Groban, Nelly, Jamie Cullum, Lemar, George Ezra and Jocelyn Brown, and has several original albums available on streaming platforms. He combines his experience on stage and in the recording studio with a deep understanding of vocal function to provide effective and inspirational coaching experiences. Previously he worked as the head of vocals at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), lecturing and designing content for the degree vocal curriculum in popular music, and now continues to work as an external examiner for other academic institutions such as the Leeds Conservatoire. Passionate about the possibilities of popular music and artistry, he pursues innovative research and strategies to see this realised; his academic qualifications include a degree in Jazz and a masters in Vocal Pedagogy. In Licks, Riffs & Runs for Pop Singers, Jono shows you exactly how to add the agile runs, riffs and licks that define modern pop singing, so you can decorate a melody with confidence and make it your own. read more




