Music Theory For the Contemporary Musician - Scale Degree Names

Musicians often refer to scale degrees (also called notes) by a set of traditional names rather than by their numbers such as 1,2,3, etc. This language is used frequently and by simply learning what they mean, you'll gain a greater understanding of the various terms and their function.

Let's use the C major scale as an example. If you don't know what a C major scale is or how to spell one, then you should review my previous article entitled Busting Out The Myths of Major Scales so that you understand this next topic clearly.

If we spell a major scale using my half step formula I mentioned in my last article, we come up with the following starting on the note C: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.

We can also refer to each note in the scale as a number starting on C: 1 (C), 2 (D), 3 (E), 4 (F), 5 (G), 6 (A), 7 (B), 8 (C).

However, more often than not, scale degree names are used instead of the numerical equivalent in order to clarify the note's function in the scale. In other words, each note of the major scale from 1 to 8 is referred to as: Tonic, Supertonic, Mediant, Submediant, Subdominant, Dominant, Submediant, Leading Tone and (Tonic). The notes of a scale are all assigned to these scale degree names.

Here is another way to look at it using the C major scale:

1st degree (1st note of scale) = Tonic (C)

2nd degree (2nd note of scale) = Supertonic (D)

3rd degree (3rd note of scale) = Mediant (E)

4th degree (4th note of scale) = Subdominant (F)

5th degree (5th note of scale) = Dominant (G)

6th degree (6th note of scale) = Submediant (A)

7th degree (7th note of scale) = Leading Tone (B)

8th degree (8th note of scale) = Back to the Tonic (C)

If you have ever experienced chords in music, you'll notice that the chords are also referred to in this manner such as the tonic, subdominant and dominant. This basically means that the chords are built from these particular notes in the scale. We will discuss chord structure in a later article. But the similarities are important to understand and the scale degree names are terms you want to memorize in order to effectively communicate with other musicians on any level.

To Learn More You Can Visit Sean's Music Theory and Technology Website.

Sean Hagon currently serves as Director of Music and Music Technology at a college-prep high school in New England. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and recently earned his Masters degree in music technology from Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis.