What is the supertonic?

What is the supertonic?

• A. The second scale degree
• B. The seventh scale degree
• C. The fourth scale degree
• D. The third scale degree

Answer: (A)

The supertonic is the second scale degree—the note that comes immediately after the tonic in a scale. For example, in C major, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, so the supertonic is D. This degree often forms a ii chord, a predominant harmony that typically moves to the dominant and then back to the tonic. The seventh scale degree, by contrast, is the leading tone, the fourth is the subdominant, and the third is the mediant.

The supertonic is the second scale degree—the note that comes immediately after the tonic in a scale. For example, in C major, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, so the supertonic is D. This degree often forms a ii chord, a predominant harmony that typically moves to the dominant and then back to the tonic. The seventh scale degree, by contrast, is the leading tone, the fourth is the subdominant, and the third is the mediant.