Major and Minor Scales
| Degree | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tonic | Tonal center, note of final resolution |
| 2nd | Supertonic | One step above the tonic |
| 3rd | Mediant | Midway between tonic and dominant |
| 4th | Subdominant | Lower dominant |
| 5th | Dominant | 2nd in importance to the tonic |
| 6th | Submediant | Lower mediant, halfway between tonic and subdominant |
| 7th | Leading tone | Melodically strong affinity for and leads to tonic |
| 8th | Subtonic | One whole step below tonic |
The degrees of the traditional major and minor scales may be identified several ways:
- the first, second, (major or minor) third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh degrees of the scale;
- by Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4 ...), sometimes with carets above them ;
- by Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV ...); and
- in English, by the names and function: tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading note (leading tone in the United States) and tonic again.
- These names are derived from a scheme where the tonic note is the 'center'. Supertonic and subtonic are, respectively, one step above and one step below the tonic; mediant and submediant are each a third above and below the tonic, and dominant and subdominant are a fifth above and below the tonic.
- Subtonic is used when the interval between it and the tonic in the upper octave is a whole step; leading note when that interval is a half step.
- in English, by the "moveable Do" Solfege system, which allows a person to name each scale degree with a single syllable while singing.
Read more about this topic: Degree (music)
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