Whether you can use the Modes in your music will depend on the chords over which you are playing.
You are not gonna be able to exploit the “flavors” of the Modes if you keep thinking of them as …the Major Scale starting on another note.

You could think of the Dorian Mode as the minor scale with the 6th note sharpened.


D minor scale=[D-E-F-G-A- Bb-C]
D dorian……. =[D-E-F-G-A- B- C]

Play the D dorian over a Dm chord or better yet play it over a Dm6 chord(no distortion, please :) )


e------------1-------------
B------------0-------------
G------------2-------------
D------------0-------------
A--------------------------
E--------------------------

The open B string, captures the dorian sound.


.