Scale degrees
Recognizing scale degrees means naming a note’s position in the scale while hearing it inside a key: the tonic sounds like home, the leading tone pulls upward, the dominant sounds solid. It’s the relative pitch drill that helps the most with playing by ear. Here a I–IV–V–I cadence sets the key, one note plays and you answer 1 to 7; at level 3 the chromatic degrees come in.
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On a computer: keys 1–3 answer, R replays the sound and Enter goes to the next one.
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Which degree is the note?
How to practice scale degrees
- Listen closely to the cadence: the last chord is “home”, the tonic.
- Sing the tonic in your head and compare the note with it: is it home, close (2, 7) or far (4, 5)?
- Answer. The correction plays the note and walks along the scale to the tonic: that path is what your ear memorizes.
- Start with the key fixed on C. Once you’re getting it right, let the key change every question.
The degrees of the major scale and how each one feels
| Degree | Name | In C major | Feeling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tonic | C | Complete rest: it’s home |
| 2 | Supertonic | D | Passing; wants to step down to the tonic |
| 3 | Mediant | E | Sweet and stable; it’s what makes the key major |
| 4 | Subdominant | F | Suspended; wants to step down to 3 |
| 5 | Dominant | G | Solid and open; the second point of rest |
| 6 | Submediant | A | Soft, a little wistful; wants to step down to 5 |
| 7 | Leading tone | B | Tense; pulls hard to the tonic, a half step above |
Scale degree FAQ
What is the cadence before the note for?
So your ear knows the key. A degree only exists in relation to a tonic: the same note G is degree 5 in C major and degree 1 in G major. The I–IV–V–I cadence makes the tonic very clear before the question.
What’s the difference between practicing degrees and intervals?
An interval compares two notes with each other; a degree compares a note with the key. For playing by ear, degrees usually help more, because a melody is always heard inside a key, not note against note.
What are the chromatic degrees?
The five notes outside the major scale: ♭2, ♭3, ♯4, ♭6 and ♭7. They show up in borrowings from minor, in the blues and in passing tones. At level 3 they join the seven degrees.
Does it work with movable-do solfège?
Yes. If you study solfège with movable do, think of degree 1 as “do”, 2 as “re”, and so on, in any key. It’s exactly the same drill.