Learning scale degrees will help you see the structure of chords, scales, and arpeggios. Using the scale degree framework to understand music theory, you’ll develop an intuitive, functional understanding of these essential musical concepts and become a better musician!
This article will explore everything you need to know about scale degrees and how they enhance your musicianship. We’ll build the major and natural minor scales using scale degrees and explain why understanding scale degrees is crucial for mastering music theory.
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Table of Contents
What Are Scale Degrees? Organizing The Notes Within An Octave
Scale degrees help position the notes of a particular scale in relationship to the tonic note or root note. Heptatonic scales (seven-note scales), like the major scale and natural minor scale, begin on a root note and move through the scale degrees until reaching the root note an octave higher.
Scale degrees determine the stepwise motion through the scale as you move from the root note to the octave higher. Scale degrees also determine the quality of the chords and arpeggios built from the scale, as the scale degrees set the relationships between the notes that make up chords.
The names of the scale degrees reveal the relationship and the function of the particular note in the context of the larger scale. You might see their official English names (given below) or the numbers 1-7 or Roman numerals I-vii. All of these can refer to the scale degrees of a particular scale.
Are Scale Degrees Musical Intervals?
Scale degrees and musical intervals both describe relationships between notes but differ significantly in context. Intervals are scale-agnostic measurements of the distance between two notes, while scale degrees specify the position of notes within a particular scale.
Musical intervals are scale agnostic.
For example, a major second interval (equivalent to a whole step) simply describes the step distance between two pitches. It doesn’t consider the relationship of either pitch to any greater organization or grouping of notes, like a scale or a chord.
On the other hand, scale degrees depend entirely on the relationships of the notes within a scale.
For example, the Supertonic is always the next note after the Tonic note. In the major scale, the distance between the Tonic and the Supertonic is equivalent to a major second interval. Still, that whole step distance isn’t unique to these two notes, as other whole step relationships exist in the major scale.
What is unique is the positional relationship between the Tonic and the Supertonic. No other note configuration has that positional relationship in the context of one scale. The Supertonic always follows the Tonic.
To sum up, musical intervals are scale agnostic, and scale degrees are scale-dependent!
Check out this article to learn more about musical intervals.
What Are the Scale Degrees of the Major and Minor Scales?
image source: Wikimedia Commons
Let’s learn about the names of the scale degrees in the major and the natural minor scales! We’ll also go over the scale degree numbers each scale degree has assigned to it.
Technical Names: Scale Degree Names in the Major Scale (Major Scale Degrees)
Let’s start with the scale degrees in the major scale. We’ll use the C major scale for our example.
Tonic (1):
The tonic note is perhaps the most important scale degree because it establishes our tonal center or pitch environment. All the adjacent scale degrees positionally depend on the tonic note. The Tonic is sometimes represented by the number 1 or the Roman numeral I.
Supertonic (2):
The Supertonic is the second scale degree. It is always one half step above the Tonic note, whether you are playing in a major or a minor key. The Supertonic is sometimes represented by the number 2 or the Roman numeral ii.
Mediant (3):
The Mediant is the third scale degree. In the major scale, it is a major third above Tonic. The Mediant gets its name because it is the halfway point between the Tonic and the Dominant notes. In major keys, it is represented by the number 3 or the Roman numeral iii.
Subdominant (4):
The Subdominant is the fourth scale degree and is always a perfect fourth above the tonic note. It is called the Subdominant because it is a whole step below and precedes the Dominant. The Subdominant is represented by the number 4 or the Roman numeral IV.
Dominant (5):
The Dominant note is perhaps the second most important compared to the other scale degrees. It is the fifth scale degree and is crucial for V-I cadences. It is represented by the number 5 or the Roman numeral V.
Check out this article for more on musical cadence types.
Submediant (6):
The Submediant is the sixth scale degree. In the major scale, it’s a major 6th above the Tonic. It is called the Submediant because it is the halfway point between the Subdominant and the Tonic. The Submediant is represented in major keys by the number 6 or a Roman numeral VI.
Leading Tone (7):
The leading tone is the seventh degree and is a major seventh above the Tonic note. Likewise, it is one half step lower than the Tonic an octave higher. It is called the leading tone because it naturally leads to the Tonic and strongly pulls toward it. It is represented by the number 7 or the Roman numeral vii.
Check out this article for more on major scales.
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE...
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Technical Names: Scale Degrees of the Natural Minor Scale (Minor Scale Degrees)
Now, let’s look at the scale degrees of the natural minor scale. We’ll use the parallel minor key of C minor for our example. Six out of seven names are the same, but some music intervals differ. For example, the Mediant in minor keys is a minor third above the Tonic, not a major third like in major keys.
Check out this article for more on relative and parallel keys.
Tonic (1):
In minor keys,the Tonic has the same importance and function is in major keys. It is the scale degree against which all others are positioned and measured. It is represented by the number 1 or the Roman numeral i (lowercase because its associated chord is minor).
Supertonic (2):
Like its major partner, the Supertonic in minor keys is the second scale degree and sits a whole step above the Tonic. It is represented by the number 2 or the Roman numeral ii.
Mediant (3):
The Mediant in minor keys is still the halfway note between the Tonic and the Dominant, but it is a minor third away from the Tonic instead of a major third. It is represented by the number 3 or an uppercase III because its associated chord is major.
Subdominant (4):
The Subdominant in minor keys is identical to its major counterpart. It is a perfect fourth above the Tonic and precedes the Dominant note. It is represented by the number 4 or the Roman numeral iv. It is lowercase because the associated chord is minor.
Dominant (5):
The Dominant in minor keys is identical to its major counterpart in position and function. It is a perfect fifth above the Tonic and serves as the root for the V-I cadence. It is represented by the number 5 or the Roman numeral v (or sometimes V).
Dominant chords would technically be minor in minor keys (G, Bb, D in the key of C minor), but sometimes they are made into major chords to put the Leading Tone in the chord instead of the Subtonic. This doesn’t change the position of the Tonic note (still G).
It is represented by the number 5 or the Roman numeral v if using the Subtonic and the Roman numeral V if using the Leading Tone.
Submediant (6):
The Submediant in minor keys is still the halfway note between the Subdominant and the Tonic, but it has a different musical interval than in major keys. It is a major sixth up from the Tonic in major keys but a minor sixth in minor keys.
It is represented by the number 6 or the Roman numeral VI because its associated chord is major.
Subtonic (7):
The Subtonic is the only scale degree name that differs between major and minor keys. It is a minor seventh interval above the Tonic or a half step below the Tonic. It is represented by the number 7 or the Roman numeral VII because the associated chord is major.
Scale Degrees and Diatonic Chords
We should also look at the chords associated with the scale degrees of the minor and major scales. That’s because the chords in a key signature are often labeled with Roman numerals based on the scale degrees. We also use scale degree names to describe chords—i.e., the Dominant chord.
The roots of these chords are the scale degrees. We’ll use the C major scale and the parallel minor key of C minor for our examples.
Diatonic Chords in the Major Scale
- I chord: Cmaj7
- ii chord: D-7
- iii chord: E-7
- IV chord: Fmaj7
- V chord: G7
- vi chord: A-7
- viiø chord: Bø
Diatonic Chords in the Minor Scale
- i chord: C-7
- iiø chord: Dø
- III chord: Ebmaj7
- iv chord: F-7
- v chord: G-7
- VI chord: Abmaj7
- VII chord: Bb7
Check out this article to learn more about diatonic chords.
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