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III.2Part III, Tonality
The Names of the Scale Degrees
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to name each degree of a scale by its function, in any key.
Any note can become the starting point of another scale. To avoid confusion, each degree has been given a name that describes its position and its function, whatever note happens to occupy it.
| Degree | Name | In C major | Roman numeral |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tonic | C | I |
| 2nd | Supertonic | D | II |
| 3rd | Mediant | E | III |
| 4th | Subdominant | F | IV |
| 5th | Dominant | G | V |
| 6th | Submediant | A | VI |
| 7th | Leading tone, or leading note in British usage | B | VII |
| 8th | Octave or tonic | C | I |
Why these names
- The tonic, the main note, gives its name to the scale and the key. When C is the tonic, you have the C scale and the key of C; when D is the tonic, you have the key of D.
- The dominant, the 5th degree, is the most important after the tonic: it “dominates.”
- The mediant, the 3rd degree, lies midway between the tonic and the dominant; together with them it completes the generating triad of the scale.
- The leading tone, the 7th degree, tends to rise to the tonic, from which it is only a diatonic half step away, that is, a minor second.
- The others take their names from their place relative to these main degrees. The supertonic lies just above the tonic. For Danhauser, the subdominant lies just below the dominant; English textbooks often add that it is the “lower dominant,” a fifth below the tonic just as the dominant is a fifth above.
- For the 6th degree, French and English think differently. Danhauser's “sus-dominante” means “above the dominant,” while the English “submediant” means “lower mediant”: it lies midway between the tonic and the subdominant below, a mirror image of the mediant.
When the 7th degree lies a whole step below the tonic, rather than a half step, it loses its pull and is called the subtonic. You'll meet it in the minor scale without a leading tone, the natural minor.
WorkshopScale BuilderFull screen
Change the tonic: the degree names stay attached to their function.
Steps: 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ (1 = whole step, ½ = half step, 1½ = augmented second)
- Scale
- G major
- Key signature
- 1 sharp: F♯
- Degrees
- 1. tonic · 2. supertonic · 3. mediant · 4. subdominant · 5. dominant · 6. submediant · 7. leading tone
- Tetrachords
- G A B C | D E F♯ G: two identical tetrachords (whole, whole, half) a whole step apart
Exercisein the method's spirit
Above each note of the G major scale, write the name of the degree it occupies.
In the next lesson, we'll cut the scale into two halves and see what they have in common.
Check your understanding
8 questions1.
What is the 5th degree called?
2.
The 7th degree, a half step below the tonic, is called the:
3.
The 6th degree is called the:
4.
In D major, which note is the mediant?
5.
In G major, which note is the leading tone?
6.
In F major, which note is the subdominant?
7.
A 7th degree lying a whole step below the tonic is called the:
8.
Why is the 3rd degree called the mediant?