Click Through Tutorial for naming the scale degrees in music

1. Music Theory
Scale Degrees
Randall Gregory
Orchestra Teacher
Salem-Keizer Public Schools

2. Objective:
You will Learn different
ways to name the notes in
a scale.
This will help you when you
want to compose music
using chords based on the
names of these notes.
Click through this tutorial
as you understand each
page.

3. In this lesson you will learn:

4. Scale Degree:
In music theory, a scale degree or scale step is the name of a
particular note of a scale. This is in relation to the starting note of
the scale. The scale degrees have both a name and a number.
So La Ti
Mi Fa 6 7 8(1)
D o Re 5
3 4
D1o 2
Source ideas from Wikipedia: Scale Degrees
Picture from:http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-12-major-scales.html

5. In this lesson you have learned:

6. Scale Number:
It is useful to number these notes with Roman Numerals as follows:
VI V II I
V
II I II I V 6 7 8(1)
I 5
2 3 4
1
Notice the 8th scale degree is also Roman Numeral I. This is
because it is a “D” just like the the starting note of the scale.
Picture from:http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-12-major-scales.html

7. In this lesson you have learned:

8. The Tonic:
The first note (I)of all musical scales is called the Tonic.
The tonic functions almost always as the starting point and the
ending point.
V VI VI I I
I II III IV
Tonic
Source: Piano Play It- Scale Degrees in Musical Scales
http://www.piano-play-it.com/musical-scales.html
Picture from:http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-12-major-scales.html

9. The Dominant
The fifth (V) note of the scale is called the Dominant. Chords
based on the dominant note of the scale help point the listener
back to the tonic.
V VI VII I
I II III IV
Dominant
Tonic
Source: Piano Play It- Scale Degrees in Musical Scales
http://www.piano-play-it.com/musical-scales.html
Picture from:http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-12-major-scales.html

10. The Subdominant
The fourth (IV) note of the scale is called the Subdominant. It is a
note that is one lower, or below the dominant. Chords based on
the subdominant note help point the listener to the dominant,
which eventually leads back to the tonic.
V VI V I I I
I II III IV
Dominant
Tonic
Subdominant
Picture from:http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-12-major-scales.html

11. In this lesson you have learned:

12. Summary:
You have learned what a scale
degree is and useful ways to
name them including:
-Roman Numerals
-Music theory names for 3 very
special scale degrees:
Tonic (I), Subdominant (IV), and
Dominant (V).
These scale degree numbers
and names will help you when
you want to compose music
using chords.

13. The END
Image: http://office.microsoft.com