Bass Lessons - Scale Degrees bass tab

If you are not familiar with scale degrees, it's just a name given

to each note of a scale (tonic, dominant, etc.) So...yeah...here it

is.

1st note: Tonic

2nd note: Supertonic

3rd note: Mediant

4th note: Subdominant

5th note: Dominant

6th note: Submediant

7th note: Leading tone or Subtonic

8th note: Upper Tonic

All of the first six notes in any major or minor scale are the

same. The only one that will change depending on the scale is the

7th note. It can be either called a Leading tone or a Subtonic. If

the scale is Natural, Harmonic minor, or Melodic minor it will be

a Leading tone. If the scale is a Natural minor, the note will be

called a Subtonic. On the Natural minor scale, the 7th note "lacks

the desire" to lead into the tonic; that is why it cannot be a

leading tone.