Scale Degree Names & Functions
The name for each step of a scale (tonic, dominant, leading note…) and the job each one does.
This chapter has moved. When the Music Theory track was rewritten (Aug 2026) to match the current Theory Packs, scale degree names moved to Grade 1's Tonic Triads, Scale Degrees & New Terms, taught right alongside the tonic triad.
Explainer
Every note of a scale has both a number (1-8) and a name describing the job it does.
1 = Tonic (home). 5 = Dominant (the strongest pull after the tonic). 7 = Leading note (pulls up strongly to the tonic).
The other degrees have names too: 2 Supertonic, 3 Mediant, 4 Subdominant, 6 Submediant.
Worked examples
The tonic (1)
The "home" note — C in the key of C major.
The dominant (5)
The strongest note after the tonic — G in C major.
The leading note (7)
Pulls strongly up to the tonic — B in C major, just a semitone below C.