Harmony
Diatonic Chords in Major and Minor Keys Explained
Diatonic chords are the triads built on each scale degree from the key's own notes. Here are their qualities in major and minor, worked out in C and A.
Submediant
The sixth degree of the scale, a minor third below the upper tonic, whose chord vi is the relative minor in major keys.
Also called: sixth degree, vi
The submediant is the sixth degree of a scale, a minor third below the tonic octave. In C major it is A, and in A minor it is F. In major keys the submediant chord is minor, written vi, and it is the relative minor of the major key: A minor shares its key signature with C major. Because vi shares two notes with the tonic chord, it often stands in for I in a deceptive cadence, V to vi. In minor keys the submediant chord is major, written VI, such as F major in A minor.
Related terms
- TonicThe first degree of a scale, the note that a key is named for and that tonal music treats as its home and point of rest.
- MediantThe third degree of a scale, midway between the tonic and the dominant, which sets the major or minor quality of a key.
- Relative keyThe major or minor key that shares the same key signature, with its tonic a minor third above or below.
- DominantThe fifth degree of the scale, a perfect fifth above the tonic, which pulls strongly back toward the tonic.
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Fundamentals
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.