Scale Degrees Explained: Numbers, Names and Solfège
Scale degrees number each note of a scale from its tonic, and solfège names the same positions do, re, mi. Degree names, movable and fixed do, and why degrees travel between keys.
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A scale degree is a note’s position counted up from the tonic. The tonic is degree 1, the note the key is named for, and the fifth note of the major scale is degree 5, the dominant, whatever key you are in. Solfège attaches syllables to those positions, usually do, re, mi, fa, sol, la and ti. In the movable-do system, do always means the tonic, so the syllables describe the music rather than fixed pitch names.
A degree is a position, not a pitch
Degree numbers belong to the scale, not to the note names. In C major, degree 5 is G. In D major it is A. The numbers also make transposition easy to check: when the tonic moves from C to G, every degree moves with it, so the note that was ^5 becomes D. The same role takes a different letter in each key. Analysts write scale degrees with a caret, from ^1 to ^7, so that a number is never confused with a chord. A Roman numeral labels a chord, and a caret number labels a note in a melody. The eighth degree is the octave, which returns to the tonic at a higher pitch, so a major scale runs from ^1 to ^8.
That is the C major scale in degrees: ^1 on C4, ^3 on E4, ^5 on G4, ^7 on B4, and ^8 on C5. The scale has no accidentals, so every degree lands on a natural note.
The seven degrees and their names
| Degree | Name | Movable-do syllable | Function or tendency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ^1 | tonic | do | rest and home; the note the key is named for |
| ^2 | supertonic | re | passing, or the root of a ii chord |
| ^3 | mediant | mi | the third; decides whether a key is major or minor |
| ^4 | subdominant | fa | predominant; often steps down to ^3 |
| ^5 | dominant | sol | the strongest partner of the tonic; the V chord leads home |
| ^6 | submediant | la | the vi chord; often steps down to ^5 |
| ^7 | leading tone | ti | a half step below the tonic; pulls up to ^1 |
Two degrees carry the most weight. The tonic and dominant form the fifth that defines a key, and the leading tone gives the dominant chord its pull. In major keys the leading tone is a half step below the tonic, and it moves up to it:
In natural minor the seventh is a whole step below the tonic. It is called the subtonic, and its pull is weaker. The raised seventh of harmonic minor is a leading tone again, which is one reason harmonic minor is used so often in cadences.
The same method works in minor
In natural A minor the degrees are A B C D E F G. Degree ^3 is C, ^5 is E and ^7 is G, a whole step below the tonic. The dominant, E, supports a v chord in natural minor and a V chord once the seventh is raised. Harmonic minor raises G to G sharp, which turns the seventh into a leading tone and changes its function as well as its pitch.
The sixth degree is less settled. Melodic minor raises it when ascending, so a melody in A minor can move F, F sharp, G sharp, A on the way up and return through G and F on the way down. Both forms of the sixth are still ^6. One is simply raised by an accidental, and the degree name does not change with it.
Fixed do and movable do
Fixed do ties each syllable to a pitch: do is always C, re is always D, and so on. It is widely used in Romance-language countries. Movable do ties the syllable to the tonic: in a piece in G major, do is G. It is common in English-speaking teaching and in the Kodály approach, where the relations between degrees are learned before pitch names are attached.
Chromatic notes need extra syllables. A common set raises a degree with an -i ending (di, ri, fi, si, li) and lowers it with an -e or -a ending (ra, me, se, le, te). Systems vary, so use the one your teacher uses. In C major, F sharp is fi, the raised fourth, and B flat is te, the lowered seventh.
Why degrees travel across keys
A tune built from degrees keeps its shape when it is transposed. In C major, the arpeggio do, sol, mi, do is C, G, E, C. In G major the same degrees give G, D, B, G. The pitches change, but the steps are the same size. Sol to mi is a minor third down in both keys, and mi to do is a major third down in both.
The reason is that the major scale’s pattern of whole and half steps is the same in every key, so the degrees keep the same intervals from the tonic. The major scale formula explains where those intervals come from. A singer who knows do, sol, mi, do can sing it in any key, and a transcriber can write a melody in degrees and transpose it later.
Degrees in ear training and transcription
A degree gives the ear a reference. Sing do aloud, then the note you hear, and name its degree before its pitch. A note a fifth above do is sol, and a note a third above is mi. The interval from the tonic is easier to hold in memory than a bare pitch, so the method works best when the tonic is sounded first and kept in mind through the phrase. The ear training intervals method article describes the practice in detail, and the ear training studio drills it.
In transcription, write the melody as degrees and only then as note names. A line that moves do, re, mi, re, do is the same shape in every key: C D E D C in C major, or D E F# E D in D major. If the recording turns out to be in a different key from the one you expected, the degrees are still correct, and the whole line moves when you change the tonic.
Where degree thinking misleads
A degree describes a note’s place in the scale, not its harmony. A melody note on ^6 can sit over the tonic chord as an accented passing or decorative note, so the degree says nothing about the chord beneath it until you check the harmony. Roman numerals and scale degrees answer different questions: the numeral labels a chord, and the degree labels a note.
The syllables also shift in minor. In the la-based system, la is the tonic of a minor key, so the syllables begin at la and the degree numbers stay the same. Two systems can both be correct, and the mismatch causes more confusion than the music does. Agree on the system before a rehearsal or a lesson.
A working procedure for labelling a note takes four steps. Find the tonic from the cadence, not from the first note. Measure the note’s distance from the tonic in semitones, and match that distance to the table. Name the degree. Then check the chord under the note, which tells you whether the degree is an ornament, a passing note or a chord tone. The first three steps label the note, and the fourth connects it to harmony.
What to do with it
Sing the C major scale to its syllables, then sing do, sol, mi, do three times, once each in C, G and D, changing only the tonic. Check each attempt by playing the tonic on the virtual piano. Then sing a short phrase by degrees with the tonic sounded first, and name the notes only afterwards. Then write the first phrase of a song you know as caret numbers, and rewrite it on a new tonic. You know the degrees when changing the key means changing only the tonic and the rest of the phrase follows.
Questions
What is a scale degree?
A scale degree is a note's position counted up from the tonic, which is degree 1. Degree 5 is the dominant, the fifth note of the scale, whatever key the scale is in. Analysts write degrees with a caret, such as ^5, to separate them from chord numerals.
What is the difference between fixed do and movable do?
In fixed do, do is always the note C. In movable do, do is the tonic of the key you are in. Movable do lets a singer learn a melodic pattern once and sing it in any key, because the syllables name degrees rather than pitches.
What is the leading tone?
The seventh degree of the major scale, a half step below the tonic. Its distance makes it sound unstable, and it pulls up to the tonic. In natural minor the seventh is a whole step below the tonic, so it is called the subtonic, and its pull is weaker.
How do scale degrees help with ear training?
Hearing a note as a degree gives you a fixed reference, the tonic. Once you can sing do, you can place sol, mi and other notes by their distance from it, which is easier to hold in memory than a bare pitch with no context.
