Dylan wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm a newbie to this group and to music theory in general. I have high-
> school experience of music theory in that I can read sheet music and
> understand the definitions of some music terms.
>
> I'm trying to learn a new instrument, without instruction. I want to
> be able to play improv.
>
> I have a question, or two, below.
>
> "The degrees of the traditional major and minor scales may be
> identified several ways...in English, by the names tonic, supertonic,
> mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, (subtonic or leading
> tone)...These names are derived from a scheme where the tonic note is
> the 'center'. Supertonic and subtonic are, respectively, one step
> above and one step below the tonic; mediant and submediant are each
> one third above and below the tonic, and dominant and subdominant are
> one fifth above and below the tonic." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
> Scale_degree)
>
> Q: The degrees of the scale are described here as steps above/below
> the tonic, why does this conflict with my thinking that tonic is the
> first note of the scale?
It's also the last note of the scale.
C D E F G A B C
> Isn't sub-dominant the middle note in the
> scale?
>
> Kind regards
> Dylan
--
Joey Goldstein
<http://www.joeygoldstein.com>
<http://homepage.mac.com/josephgoldstein/AudioClips/audio.htm>
joegold AT sympatico DOT ca
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