20240904154815-Dominant_Scale_Degree

Dominant Scale Degree

From “The Dominant: The 6th Scale Degree¨ in Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers

[…] fifth scale degree is so named because it is the most dominant sonority in the scale, other than the tonic. In a major or minor scale it is a perfect interval, and it nearly always pushes us toward the tonic. […] if tonic is the pool, then dominant is the diving board.

For more on “perfect¨ intervals, see 20240901171406-Musical_Intervals.

The last part of the quote suggests that, with the dominant, the scale sounds as it if its suspended in time. That is to say, there is a lot of potential held in the playing of the dominant scale degree.

So, for example, for the C Major scale, the fifth scale degree would be G:

major_scale music music_theory scale_degree

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bibliography

• “The Dominant: The 5th Scale Degree.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 63. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.