20240904131349-Scale_Degrees

Scale Degrees

From “Major Scales and Major Keys¨ in Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers

The “Scale Degree” is a term referring to the relationship between a note and a root. For example, in a C major scale, the pitch D is a scale degree $2$. It’s the second note of the scale. Scale degree $3$ is E - it’s the third note of the scale, and so on.

A scale degree then is the counted number of (mechanical) keys or pitches in or from the given scale, inclusively starting from the root key / pitch. Here we can see the counting procedure for the C Major scale, to derive the scale degree:

Rearranged scales

“In actual music you very rarely have scales written out in order from beginning to end¨ (Allen 2018, 58).

Distilling scale use

How do you, then, figure out a scale used in a musical sequence, especially when they have been rearranged?

musical_scale scale_degree music_theory keys pitches major_scale root_key

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bibliography

• “Major Scales and Major Keys.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 57. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.
• “The Root.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 58. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.