CHAPTER

Scale Degree Names and Intervals

SECRET 39: SCALE DEGREE NAMES

When musicians speak of scale degrees, they may use names rather than numbers to identify
each particular scale degree. The first scale degree is tonic. In the C major scale, C is the first
degree of the scale and therefore C is tonic. The name of the scale is the tonic. C is tonic in the
C scale (be it C minor or C major). In the key of G, G is the tonic. In the G major scale, G is
tonic (the first degree).
The second degree of the scale is supertonic. Supertonic, able to leap tonic in a single step.
Supertonic is one degree above tonic. In the F major scale, F is tonic and G is supertonic. In
the key of C major, the supertonic is D.
The third degree of the scale is mediant. The mediant is halfway between tonic and dominant
(the fifth degree) and is also the middle—or median—of the tonic triad, which will be
discussed later. In the A minor scale, A is tonic, B is supertonic, and C is mediant. Find the
mediant in the key of C major. Take a C major scale and count to the third degree (C-D-E). The
mediant of the C major scale or the key of C major is E.
The fourth degree of the scale is the subdominant. Subdominant is just under dominant. In the
F major scale, for example, F is tonic, G is supertonic, A is mediant, and B is subdominant.
The fifth degree of the scale is dominant. The dominant degree dominates the scale, except
for tonic. That is, it is the second most important degree after tonic. In the C major scale, G is
the dominant degree. In the A natural minor scale, the dominant is E. The tonic degree has the
strongest pull to the ear or strongest tonal center, and the dominant has the next strongest. You
can hear this for yourself. Play a C major scale to establish the key. Then play C-G-C. Feel
how the note G pulls you back toward C. Play the scale again, and then play C-G-C-G and
stop. It is very upsetting to hear a dominant and then not hear the tonic. This drive from
dominant toward tonic is the foundation of Western harmony.
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The sixth degree of the scale is the submediant. The submediant is halfway between
subdominant and tonic at the octave. It is a little confusing in that it is the submediant even
though it is higher than the mediant. Think of it as the mediant of the subdominant: submediant.
In the C major scale, the submediant degree is A. In the key of B flat major, the submediant is
G. This is also the tonic key of the relative minor, as you learned previously.
The seventh degree of the major scale is the leading tone. The seventh degree of the
harmonic and ascending melodic minor scales is also called leading tone. The term leading
tone is when there is a half step between the seventh degree and tonic because the seventh
wants to lead to tonic. In the natural minor and descending melodic minor scales, the seventh
degree is subtonic, because it is a whole step below tonic. Whereas the step above tonic is
supertonic, the whole step below tonic is subtonic.

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 In C major: C = tonic, D = supertonic, E = mediant, F = subdominant, G = dominant, A =
submediant, B = leading tone, C = tonic.

SECRET 40: THE INTERVAL

An interval is the distance between two notes on the musical staff, or the difference in pitch
between two notes. If the two notes are played at the same time, it is a harmonic interval. If
one note is played after the other, it is a melodic interval. When identifying an interval, one
must state its quality (for example, major or minor) and a numerical value by counting the lines
and spaces between the two notes.

SECRET 41: MAJOR INTERVALS

A major interval is an interval between two tones found in a major scale. There is no zero in
music. It is as if we were walking up a flight of stairs and counting our steps by counting the
places where our feet touched—not counting the paces we took. Where we start is one even
though we have not moved yet. The interval from C to the same C is called unison, or one.
For example, if we take the C major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C), the distance or interval
between C and E is a third. We count this interval as such: C is one, D is two, and E is three,
an interval of a third. We then take the bottom note (C in this example) and say, “Is there an ‘E’
in the C major scale?” If the answer is yes, then it is a major interval. (We will discuss other
alternatives later.) When counting intervals, again, the starting note is number 1, not zero. This
is because it is the first note of a scale. In our example, C to E is a major third, or M3. C to D
is then a major second, M2. C to A (C-1, D-2, E-3, F-4, G-5, A-6) is a sixth. Is there an A in
the C major scale, or is there an A natural in the key of C major? Yes, and therefore the interval
is a major sixth, M6. Notice the use of capital Ms for major and small ms for minor. Remember
to put the higher note of the two in the key of the bottom note. Although the interval is the same
whether we count from the bottom up or the top down, harmony is always built from the bottom
up, so counting from the bottom is a very important habit. The intervals 2, 3, 6, and 7 are
referred to as major intervals, when from the major scale.

SECRET 42: PERFECT INTERVALS

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A perfect interval sounds major and is found in the major scale; it is, however, called perfect
rather than major. The intervals of a fourth, fifth, and octave are referred to as perfect rather
than major, because there is no minor version of these intervals. If the same note is played,
tonic repeated, for example, the interval is unison (C to C, the same note and not an octave). A
unison interval is also called perfect. The intervals in the major scale are depicted in figures
5.1 and 5.2.

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 You might want to make a major/perfect interval table, as in table 5.1. Simply write the notes
into the table for the major scale you are working with and check out the interval in the column
above. You will notice that the first and last columns are perfect, as well as the P4 and P5 in
the middle of the table. If figuring the interval C to A, look above A, and see the interval is an
M6 (major sixth). If figuring the interval D to A, you can see that the interval D to A is a P5
(perfect fifth), using the D major scale row.

Table 5.1. Major Intervals

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PU M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 M7 P8/Octave
C D E F G A B C
D E F♯ G A B C♯ D

SECRET 43: MINOR INTERVALS

If you understand how to build major intervals, you will find building minor intervals to be
rather easy. Minor intervals are not built from perfect intervals, only from major intervals.
Therefore, minor intervals deal only with degrees 2, 3, 6, and 7. You may build minor intervals
two ways. One way is to count up the interval number and apply the key signature of the minor
scale (natural form). For example, in the key of C minor there are three flats: B, E, and A. To

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 build a minor third from C, count up three to E and ask yourself, “In C minor, what is E natural:
sharp or flat?” The answer is flat; therefore, C to E is a minor third.
This works the same for the sixth and seventh degrees; however, the second degree is the
same in the major and minor scale. The first three notes of A major are A-B-C♯; the first three
notes of A minor are A-B-C. Therefore, preference will be given to the method that involves
first building a major interval, then making those two notes a half step closer to one another,
either by lowering the top note or by raising the bottom note. This will produce a minor
interval. Remember that minor intervals only occur with degrees 2, 3, 6, and 7. There is no
such thing as a minor fourth or minor fifth. Major intervals become minor when made a half
step closer, whereas perfect intervals become diminished when made a half step closer.
Diminished intervals are discussed later.
To build a minor sixth (m6) beginning on C, first count six from C to get A, the sixth note in a
C major scale. For the major key signature of C (no sharps or flats), think of the note on the
bottom. C to A is a major sixth (M6). To turn the major sixth into a minor sixth, these two
notes, C and A, must be made a half step closer. If we lower the top note from A to A flat, we
now have the interval of a minor sixth: C to A.

We can also make the bottom note higher, thus making it closer to the top note. C♯ to A is a
minor sixth; however, we were trying to build a minor sixth on C and not C♯. When you raise
the bottom note, it is still like thinking the major key of the bottom note and lowering the top. If
building a minor sixth on C♯ rather than C, think the major key signature for C♯ rather than C.
The key of C♯ has all sharps. C♯ to A♯ is a major sixth; lowering the A♯ to A natural gives us
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the interval of a minor sixth: C♯ to A.

Now build a minor second on B. B to C is a major second. (B major has B and E in the key
signature.) These are the first two notes of a B major scale; therefore, B to C is a major
second. To build a minor second on B, lower the C by a half step to C. B to C is the interval of
a minor second. C is the same pitch as B natural, but when counting up to two we must move to
the next line/space. B to B natural is on the same line/space, whereas B to C is counted as a
second, a minor second.
Now build a minor seventh on F♯. The major key of F♯ has six sharps, F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯,
E♯. Count up seven from F♯ to get E♯; this is a major seventh. To make it a minor seventh,
lower the E♯ to E natural; F♯ to E is the interval of an m7.

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 SECRET 44: AUGMENTED INTERVALS

An augmented interval (symbol +) consists of the distance between two notes that is a half-
step greater than that of a major or perfect interval. For example, if C to A is a major sixth,
then to make that major sixth into an augmented sixth (+6), the C to A interval must become a
half-step larger or wider. This is achieved in two ways. One way is to turn the A into an A♯ (A
sharp), making the distance a half-step wider than the major interval distance: C to A♯ = +6.

The second way is to lower the bottom note by a half step. Remember, when you lower a
sharp by a half step, it becomes a natural. When you lower a natural by a half step, it becomes
a flat. When you lower a flat by a half step, it becomes a double flat (symbol: ). Going
back to the example of C to A, the interval of a major sixth; instead of raising the A a half step
to A♯, we can also lower the bottom note (the C) a half step to C. C to A is the interval of an
augmented sixth. You can think of the interval C to A in a different way. Instead of thinking C to
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A and lowering C to C (giving you C to A), think of C to A (key of C, everything flat) as an

interval of a major sixth, then raise the A to A natural, which gives you C to A, the interval of
an augmented sixth.
A perfect interval made a half-step wider becomes an augmented interval. For example, C to
G, a perfect fifth, is made into an augmented interval by raising the G to G♯, thus making the
interval between the two notes a half-step wider or larger. C to G♯ is therefore the interval of
an augmented fifth (+5).
Just as two notes that sound the same can be spelled differently, such as D♯ and E, so can
intervals. Play the augmented fifth C to G♯ from the previous example. Now play a minor sixth
from C. C to A is M6; C to A is m6. The augmented fifth and the minor sixth sound the same.
We must still call them by their right names, because they have different meanings in harmony.

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 Think of homophone words like weight and wait; they also are spelled differently and have
different meanings, even though they sound the same.

To build an augmented fourth (+4) on F, first build a perfect fourth. The key of F has one flat,
B. Count up four notes from F to B. F to B is a perfect fourth. To turn this into an augmented
fourth, raise the B to B natural. F to B is the interval of an augmented fourth (+4).

Remember when you raise a flat by a half step it becomes a natural. When you raise a natural
by a half step, it becomes a sharp. When you raise a sharp by a half step, it becomes a double
sharp (symbol: x). In addition, when you raise a bottom note of an interval, it becomes closer
to the top note; however, when you raise the top note, it becomes farther from the bottom note.
That is, raising the bottom note makes the interval closer together, while raising the top note
makes it wider. Lowering the top note makes the interval closer, while lowering the bottom
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note makes the interval wider.

To turn the interval of F♯ to A♯, an M3, into an augmented third, simply lower the F♯ a half
step to F natural. F to A♯ = +3. This is the same as thinking of the key of F and since F to A is
an M3, raising the A to A♯ produces an augmented third; F to A♯ is +3. It doesn’t matter
whether you think of the key of F♯ (F♯ to A♯) and lower the F♯ to F, giving you F to A♯, or
think of the key of F (F to A) and raise the A to A♯, giving you F to A♯; the answer is the same.
If you want to build +3 on F♯, however, you must keep the F♯ and alter the interval by changing
the A♯ to Ax (A double sharp).

SECRET 45: DIMINISHED INTERVALS

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 A diminished interval (symbol o) is a half-step smaller or closer than a minor or perfect
interval. Please make note of the following: A perfect interval (unison, 4th, 5th, 8th) becomes
diminished when made a half-step smaller, not minor. However, a major interval when made a
half-step smaller (closer together) becomes minor. A minor interval becomes diminished when
made a half-step smaller (closer together). Please keep the following in mind, from widest
interval on the left, to smallest interval on the right: intervals 2, 3, 6, 7 go from augmented to
major to minor to diminished. Intervals unison, 4, 5, 8 go from augmented to perfect to
diminished, skipping minor.
To build a diminished fifth (o5) on C, first build a perfect fifth (P5). Think of the key of C and
count up to the fifth note in the C scale. C to G is a P5. To make a P5 into a diminished fifth
(o5), lower the top note (the G) by a half step to a G. C to G is an interval of a diminished fifth
(o5). Lower it by changing the accidental, not the note name. Even though F♯ and G sound the
same, C to F♯ is an augmented fourth, while C to G is a diminished fifth.
Now build an interval of a diminished sixth on C. First, build a minor sixth. C to A is an M6;
therefore, C to A is an m6. To make that m6 into a o6, the two notes must become a half-step
closer to one another. This is accomplished in two ways. If the top note is lowered by a half
step to get a diminished interval, we have C to A (A double flat). We can also raise the
bottom note to C♯ instead of lowering the top note, resulting in C♯ to A as an interval of a
diminished sixth; however, this is building the diminished interval on C♯, rather than C.
Build a o2 on F♯. F♯ to G♯ is a major second. G♯ is the second note of an F♯ major scale. To
turn that into a minor second, lower the G♯ to G natural. F♯ to G = m2. To turn that into a o2,
lower the G to G. F♯ to G = o2. Of course, F♯ to G is the same pitch; however, to be called a
unison, the two notes must be on the same line or space.
Here is one that is not so tricky. Using the key of C♯ (all sharps), build a diminished seventh.
Starting on C♯, count up seven notes: C♯ to B♯ is an M7. Lowering the top note B♯ to B natural
produces a minor seventh. Lowering the top note B once again to B gives a diminished
interval. Therefore, C♯ to B is a o7. You will always be able to create any interval—major,
minor, perfect, augmented, or diminished—using the normal symbols of natural, flat, sharp,
double flat, and double sharp, as well as the rarely seen triple flat if building diminished
intervals in the key of C flat major, although I have never seen one used in composed music.
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Now that you understand intervals, another way to find the relative major key or scale from
the minor is to go up an interval of a minor third. For example, a minor third up from the pitch
A is C (A to C♯ = M3, A to C natural = m3). The relative major of A minor is C major.

SECRET 46: THE TRITONE

The interval of an augmented fourth or diminished fifth has a special name: tritone. A tritone is
made of three (tri) tones or whole steps. For example, C to D is one whole step, D to E is a
second whole step, and E to F sharp is a third whole step. Therefore, C to F♯ is a tritone, also
known as an augmented fourth. C to G (the enharmonic spelling of F♯) is a diminished fifth,
still a tritone.
Remember, music speaks louder than words.

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