Scale Degree
Chords are also capable of being distinguished as well as notated based on the scale degree for their root note or their bass note. For example, since the C major scale's first scale degree is the C note, a triad that is built on top of this note is going to be referred to as a one chord, which could be notated as 1, as I or as C. In this case, an assumption would be made that the particular piece of music's key signature would indicate what function the C major triad would be fulfilling for the musician as well as any specialized role that the chord is going to play outside of its typical diatonic function.
When you are taking any major scale and building it into a triad using a base in the scale, then the second, the third and the sixth intervals, when they are used as a root, are going to form a minor triad. The root, the fourth and the fifth will form a major triad, but then the seventh is going to go into forming a diminished triad. When in their minor modes, building upon the second scale degree is going to result in a more diminished chord, but building the triad upon the third, sixth and seventh scale degrees is going to yield major chords.
Roman numerals are often used in order to indicate the chord's root as a scale degree for a particular major key, like so:
- When the Roman numeral is I, the scale degree is tonic.
- When the Roman numeral is II, the scale degree is supertonic.
- When the Roman numeral is III, the scale degree is mediant.
- When the Roman numeral is IV, the scale degree is subdominant.
- When the Roman numeral is V, the scale degree is dominant.
- When the Roman numeral is VI, the scale degree is submediant.
- When the Roman numeral is VII, the scale degree is leading tone or subtonic.
Many analysts make use of lower case Roman numerals in order to indicate the minor triads, and then upper case roman numerals are used to indicate major triads. Degrees as well as plus signs are then used in order to indicate augmented triads and diminished triads, with degrees indicating diminished triads and plus signs indicating augmented ones. When they are not being used, all of the numerals are capitalized, and then the qualifiers of those chords are inferred from the scale degrees contained by the chord. For example, a chord that is built in C major on VI would contain the A, C and E notes, and would thusly be a minor triad. The chords that are not on this scale would be indicated using flat signs and sharp signs before the chord.
Photo Credits: Micah Taylor
Originally posted 2009-09-29 03:50:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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