Scale Degree Names
Every degree of the scale has a technical name — tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone — and each name describes what that note does. This page gives the complete chart, the naming logic behind it, and the distinction students most often miss: leading tone versus subtonic.
- The names1 tonic · 2 supertonic · 3 mediant · 4 subdominant · 5 dominant · 6 submediant · 7 leading tone.
- The logic“Sub-” names mirror the upper names below the tonic: the subdominant is a fifth BELOW, the submediant a third below.
- The exceptionA lowered 7th (a whole step below tonic) is the subtonic, not a leading tone.
Learning Objectives
- I can name all seven scale degrees
- I can explain the mirror logic behind the “sub-” names
- I can tell a leading tone from a subtonic
- I can use degree names to describe melodies and chords
1 The Complete Chart
Every scale degree carries a number and a technical name that describes what it does. Say "dominant" and a musician knows the degree (5), its tension, and its pull toward tonic — information a bare number never conveys. All of it is below, spelled in C.
| Degree | Name | In C major | In C minor | What the name means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tonic | C | C | Greek tonos, "tone" — the home pitch everything resolves to. |
| 2 | Supertonic | D | D | Latin super, "above" — one step above the tonic. |
| 3 | Mediant | E | E♭ | Latin medius, "middle" — midway between tonic and dominant. |
| 4 | Subdominant | F | F | Latin sub, "below" — a fifth below the tonic. |
| 5 | Dominant | G | G | Latin dominus, "master" — the most powerful non-tonic degree. |
| 6 | Submediant | A | A♭ | A third below the tonic — the mirror of the mediant. |
| 7 | Leading tone | B | B♮* | A half step below the tonic — it "leads" upward home. |
| ♭7 | Subtonic | — | B♭ | A whole step below the tonic — a weaker pull home. |
*The seventh degree is the one that changes with mode: major and harmonic minor use the leading tone (B♮ in C minor), while natural minor uses the subtonic (B♭). See Leading tone vs. subtonic below.
2 The Naming Logic
The names aren't arbitrary — three prefixes do most of the work, so you can reconstruct the whole set from the tonic and dominant.
- Super- = above → the supertonic is one step above the tonic.
- Sub- = below → the subdominant is a fifth below the tonic (mirroring the dominant a fifth above), and the submediant is a third below (mirroring the mediant a third above).
- Mediant / dominant describe position and power: the mediant sits in the middle of the tonic triad; the dominant dominates the harmony, driving the strongest progression in tonal music, V → I.
The mirror. The tonic sits between two fifths — dominant a fifth above, subdominant a fifth below — and between two thirds — mediant a third above, submediant a third below. The "sub-" degrees are simply the shadows of the "dominant" and "mediant" cast on the low side of the tonic.
3 Leading Tone vs. Subtonic
The seventh degree is the most-confused name, and one test settles it: measure the distance up to the tonic. A half step "leads" home; a whole step doesn't.
| Name | Distance below tonic | Occurs in |
|---|---|---|
| Leading tone | Half step (strong pull) | Major; harmonic minor; ascending melodic minor |
| Subtonic | Whole step (weaker pull) | Natural minor; Mixolydian; descending melodic minor |
In A minor: natural minor spells A–B–C–D–E–F–G, where G is the subtonic (a whole step below A); raise it and A–B–C–D–E–F–G♯ gives the leading tone (a half step below A).
4 The Three Functions
Grouped by how they behave, the degrees fall into three families. This is the engine of tonal harmony: pre-dominant prepares the dominant, and the dominant resolves to tonic.
| Function | Degrees | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Tonic (stable) | 1, 3, 6 | At rest. The chords I, iii, and vi can substitute for one another. |
| Subdominant (pre-dominant) | 2, 4 | Lead to the dominant — the ii and IV of ii–V–I and IV–V–I. |
| Dominant (tension) | 5, 7 | Create tension that resolves to tonic — the V and vii° chords. |
Subdominant → Dominant → Tonic
5 Where the Names Come From
The system dates to Jean-Philippe Rameau's Treatise on Harmony (1722). Rameau built harmony on chains of fifths, which is why the fourth degree is the sub-dominant — a fifth below the tonic — rather than merely "the note under the dominant." He gave the fifth degree its name from the overtone series: the fifth is the first non-octave partial to sound, so the dominant "dominates" through natural acoustic strength.
6 Drill the names both ways
The flashcards test both directions — name the degree from a note, or spell the note from a technical name — in every key.
Practice free: Technical Names Flashcards →
Keep going
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between leading tone and subtonic?
The Leading Tone is a half step below the tonic and strongly "leads" to resolution. It occurs naturally in major keys and harmonic minor. The Subtonic is a whole step below the tonic and doesn't have the same pull. It occurs in natural minor and Mixolydian mode. For example, in C major, B is the leading tone. In C natural minor, B♭ is the subtonic.
Why is the fourth degree called "subdominant" instead of "supramediant"?
The subdominant is named for its relationship to the tonic by fifths, not steps. It's a fifth BELOW the tonic (C down to F), just as the dominant is a fifth ABOVE. The "sub" prefix means "below" in this fifth-based system. This naming convention comes from Rameau's theory of fundamental bass, which emphasizes fifth relationships.
Do scale degree names change in minor keys?
Most names stay the same: Tonic, Supertonic, Mediant, Subdominant, Dominant, and Submediant. The key difference is the 7th degree: in natural minor it's called the Subtonic (whole step below tonic), while in harmonic minor the raised 7th is the Leading Tone (half step below tonic).
What is the dominant of the dominant called?
The dominant of the dominant is called the Secondary Dominant, written as V/V ("five of five"). For example, in C major, the dominant is G. The dominant of G is D, making D major the secondary dominant (V/V) in C major. This is a common chromatic chord that adds tension before the dominant.
Why do musicians use technical names instead of numbers?
Technical names convey function, not just position. "Dominant" tells you the chord wants to resolve to tonic. "Leading tone" tells you the note pulls upward. "Subdominant" suggests pre-dominant function. These names date back to 18th-century theory and are still used because they communicate harmonic meaning more richly than numbers alone.
References & further reading: Rameau, Traité de l’harmonie réduite à ses principes naturels [Treatise on Harmony] (Paris, 1722) · Aldwell & Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading (4th ed., Schirmer/Cengage, 2011) · Kostka, Payne & Almén, Tonal Harmony (8th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2018).