If you can manage Roman numerals, these are easy enough to remember. But each note also has a formal name, and these can be much more tricky to remember:

It's very important to be fluent in these names for the degrees of the scale, because you don't have to go far in the study of music to hear phrases such as "a modulation to the dominant", "a return to the tonic" or "remember the sharpened leading note in the harmonic minor scale". Remembering all seven in the correct sequence by rote will inevitably cause problems if you're under pressure, e.g. in an exam. It's much better to understand why each degree has a particular name, and you'll realise that you only really need to remember the two most important: the tonic (I) and the dominant (V).

You'll also need a little bit of Latin: super means "over" / "above", and sub means "under" / "below" (think of Superman flying above and a submarine under the sea, if you like). "Med-" means "middle" (as in Mediterranean — the sea "in the middle of the Earth", as it was thought in ancient times).

Remember also that scales are circular, like the hours on a clock — I goes up to VII then starts at I again (an octave above), so two degrees above VI is I (not VIII!)

So here we go:

• The degree above the tonic is the supertonic
• The dominant is 5 degrees above the tonic, so the subdominant is 5 degrees below the tonic
  (think about that for a minute! I—VII—VI—V—IV)
• The degree in the middle of the tonic and dominant is the mediant
• The mediant is 3 degrees above the tonic, so the submediant is 3 degrees below the tonic
  (again, think about that! I—VII—VI)
• The odd one out is the leading note, which leads back to I again for the next octave.

Easy, isn't it, once you understand the meaning and origin of these strange words!

The next Clements Tip will be with you soon — keep an eye on your inbox!

Not a subscriber? Get your FREE 40-part email course here