In
music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...
, the submediant is the sixth
degree
Degree may refer to:
As a unit of measurement
* Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement
** Degree of geographical latitude
** Degree of geographical longitude
* Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathemati ...
() of a
diatonic scale
In music theory, a diatonic scale is any heptatonic scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole st ...
. The submediant ("lower mediant") is named thus because it is halfway between
tonic and
subdominant ("lower dominant") or because its position below the tonic is symmetrical to that of the mediant above. (See the figure in the
Degree (music) article.)
In the
movable do solfège system, the submediant is sung as ''la'' in a major mode and ''fa'' in a minor mode. It is occasionally called superdominant, as the degree above the dominant. This is its normal name (''sus-dominante'') in French.
In
Roman numeral analysis
In music theory, Roman numeral analysis is a type of musical analysis in which chords are represented by Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, …). In some cases, Roman numerals denote scale degrees themselves. More commonly, however, they represent t ...
, the
triad formed on the submediant is typically symbolized by "VI" if it is a
major triad
In music theory, a major chord is a chord that has a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a major triad. For example, the major triad built on C, called a C major triad, has pitche ...
(the default in a minor mode) and by "vi" if it is a
minor triad
In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on C, called a C minor triad, has pitch ...
(the default in a major mode).
The term ''submediant'' may also refer to a relationship of musical
keys
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (ma ...
. For example, relative to the key of C major, the key of A minor is the submediant. In a major key, the submediant key is the
relative minor
In music, relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures (enharmonically equivalent), meaning that they share all the same notes but are arranged in a different order of whole steps and half steps. A pair of major ...
.
Modulation
In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a periodic waveform, called the '' carrier signal'', with a separate signal called the ''modulation signal'' that typically contains informat ...
(change of key) to the submediant is relatively rare, compared with modulation to the
dominant in a major key or modulation to the
mediant In music, the mediant (''Latin'': to be in the middle) is the third scale degree () of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant.Benward & Saker (2003), p.32. In the movable do solfège system, the mediant note ...
in a minor key.
Chord
One of the main usages of the submediant chord is in the
deceptive cadence, V
(7)–vi in major or V
(7)–VI in minor. In a submediant chord, the third may be
doubled.
:
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff <<
\new Voice \relative c''
\new Voice \relative c''
>>
\new Staff <<
\new Voice \relative c'
\new Voice \relative c'
>>
>>
In major, the submediant chord also often appears as the starting point of a series of perfect descending fifths and ascending fourths leading to the
dominant,
vi–ii–V. This is because the relationship between vi and ii and between ii and V is the same as that between V and I. If all chords were major (I–VI–II–V–I), the succession would be one of
secondary dominants.
[Andrews, William G.; Sclater, Molly (2000). ''Materials of Western Music Part 1'', p. 226. .] This submediant role is as common in
popular and
classical music as it is in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
, or any other musical language related to Western European tonality. A more complete version starts the series of fifths on the chord of iii, iii–vi–ii–V–I, as in
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
's "
Blues for Alice". In minor, the
progression from VI to ii° (e.g. A–D in C minor) involves a
diminished fifth
Diminished may refer to:
* Diminution in music
* "Diminished" (R.E.M. song), from the 1998 album ''Up''
{{disambiguation ...
, as does the ii° chord itself; it may nevertheless be used in VI–ii°–V–I by analogy with the major. Similarly, the full circle progression I–IV–vii°–iii–vi–ii–V–I can be used by analogy with the usual descending fifth progression, even though IV–vii° involves a diminished fifth.

Another frequent progression is the sequence of descending thirds (I–vi–IV–ii–, –V in
root position
The root position of a chord is the voicing of a triad
Triad or triade may refer to:
* a group of three
Businesses and organisations
* Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North Amer ...
or
first inversion
The first inversion of a chord is the voicing of a triad, seventh chord, or ninth chord in which the third of the chord is the bass note and the root a sixth above it.Walter Piston, ''Harmony'', fifth edition, revised and expanded by Mark DeVo ...
), alternating major and minor chords.
This progression is also frequent in jazz, where it is used in a shortened version (I–vi–IV–V) in the "
ice cream change", which moves from the
tonic through the submediant and subdominant on the way to the dominant.
Chromatic submediant
In music, chromatic mediants are "altered mediant and submediant chords." A chromatic mediant relationship defined conservatively is a relationship between two sections and/or chords whose roots are related by a major third or minor third, an ...
s, like
chromatic mediants, are chords whose
roots are related by a
major third
In classical music, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four semitones. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony in Concept and P ...
or
minor third
In music theory, a minor third is a musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval number). The minor third is one of two com ...
, contain one
common tone, and share the same quality, i.e.
major or minor
In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe a chord, scale, or key. As such, composition, movement, section, or phrase may be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor.
Intervals
Some intervals ma ...
. They may be
altered chord
An altered chord is a chord that replaces one or more notes from the diatonic scale with a neighboring pitch from the chromatic scale. By the broadest definition, any chord with a non-diatonic chord tone is an altered chord. The simplest examp ...
s.
Submediant chords may also appear as
seventh chords
A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a minor s ...
: in major, as vi
7, or in minor as VI
M7 or vi
7:
In
rock and popular music, VI in minor often uses the chromatically lowered fifth scale degree as its seventh, VI
7, for example as in
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
's clearly minor mode "
I Shot The Sheriff
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Bob Marley and the Wailers version
The song was first released in 1973 on The Wailers' album '' Burni ...
".
[Stephenson, Ken (2002). ''What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis'', p. 89. .]
Name
The term ''mediant'' appeared in English in 1753 to refer to the note "midway between the tonic and the dominant". The term ''submediant'' must have appeared soon after to similarly denote the note midway between the tonic and the subdominant. The German word ''Untermediante'' is found in 1771. In France, on the other hand, the sixth degree of the scale was more often called the ''sus-dominante'', as the degree above the dominant. This reflects a different conception of the
diatonic scale
In music theory, a diatonic scale is any heptatonic scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole st ...
and its degrees:
[See Nicolas Meeùs, "Scale, polifomia, armonia", in J. J. Nattiez (ed), ''Enciclopedia della musica'', vol. II, ''Il sapere musicale'', Torino, Einaudi, 2002, p. 84.]
* In English as in German, the tonic is flanked on both sides by
subtonic
In music, the subtonic is the degree of a musical scale which is a whole step below the tonic note. In a major key, it is a lowered, or flattened, seventh scale degree (). It appears as the seventh scale degree in the natural minor and descend ...
/
supertonic
In music, the supertonic is the second degree () of a diatonic scale, one whole step above the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the supertonic note is sung as ''re''.
The triad built on the supertonic note is called the supertonic cho ...
, submediant /
mediant In music, the mediant (''Latin'': to be in the middle) is the third scale degree () of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant.Benward & Saker (2003), p.32. In the movable do solfège system, the mediant note ...
and
dominant /
subdominant – the 7th degree being more usually known as the
leading tone
In music theory, a leading-tone (also called a subsemitone, and a leading-note in the UK) is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively. Typically, ''the ...
(or leading note) if it is a semitone under the tonic. (See the figure in
Degree (music)#Major and minor scales);
* In French and Italian, a conception with two centres,
subtonic
In music, the subtonic is the degree of a musical scale which is a whole step below the tonic note. In a major key, it is a lowered, or flattened, seventh scale degree (). It appears as the seventh scale degree in the natural minor and descend ...
(''sous-tonique'', ''sotto-tonica'') and
supertonic
In music, the supertonic is the second degree () of a diatonic scale, one whole step above the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the supertonic note is sung as ''re''.
The triad built on the supertonic note is called the supertonic cho ...
(''sustonique'', ''sopra-tonica'') on both sides of the tonic, subdominant (''sous-dominante'', ''sotto-dominante'') and "superdominant" (''sus-dominante'', ''sopra-dominante'') on both sides of the dominant – and the mediant left alone between the two.
In the German theory derived from
Hugo Riemann
Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo Riemann (18 July 1849 – 10 July 1919) was a German musicologist and composer who was among the founders of modern musicology. The leading European music scholar of his time, he was active and influential as both a mu ...
, the minor submediant in a major key is considered the ''Tonikaparallele'' (minor relative of the major tonic), labeled Tp, and the major submediant in a minor key is the ''Subdominantparallele'' (major relative of the minor subdominant), labeled sP.
See also
*
Deceptive cadence
References
{{chords
Diatonic functions
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