6.3 Identifying the degrees of the scale
During the discussion of scales I needed to talk about not only accidentals but also degrees of the scale. I needed to be able to identify certain degrees of the scale, and therefore used a phrase such as ‘sixth or seventh note up the scale’. However, there are several ways of referring to the degrees of the scale:
- the ordinal numbers already noted
- cardinal numbers with carets above; and
- names that reflect the importance of a particular note within a scale.
Here are the different systems displayed side by side, assuming that the scale is ascending:
| Ordinals | Cardinals, with carets above | Names |
|---|---|---|
| First degree | 1̂ | Tonic, or key note |
| Second | 2̂ | Supertonic |
| Third | 3̂ | Mediant |
| Fourth | 4̂ | Subdominant |
| Fifth | 5̂ | Dominant |
| Sixth | 6̂ | Submediant |
| Seventh | 7̂ | Leading note |
The names of the notes in the scale need explanation. In tonal music the most important note in the scale is the tonic or key note. In the scale of C major, for instance, the tonic, as you know, is C: the tonic signifies the key of the scale. The second most important note is the dominant, the fifth degree of the scale (see Example 58). Note that in this example the C major scale is notated from F, via C up to G so that the relationships between the names for the degrees of the scale are more clearly expressed.
Example 58
Next comes the subdominant, which has a ‘mirror’ position to that of the dominant. The dominant is five notes above the tonic; the subdominant is five notes below (sub, Latin for ‘under’). The mediant sits between the tonic and the dominant (medius, Latin for ‘middle’), and the submediant between the tonic and the (lower) subdominant. The supertonic lies immediately above the tonic (super, Latin for ‘above’, ‘over’), and, finally, the leading-note rises up to the tonic (see Example 59).
Example 59
