Meaning & use
supertonic
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnicalmusic
The second note of a major or minor scale, one step above the keynote.
Grammar: Countable: you can say "a supertonic" or "the supertonic in C major."
Patterns
- the supertonic of a scale
- the supertonic in C major
In the scale of C major, D is the supertonic.
The melody begins on the supertonic and then rises to the mediant.
Teachers often call the supertonic the second degree of the scale.
nouncountabletechnicalmusic
The chord built on the second degree of a scale.
Grammar: Countable and often used with "chord": "the supertonic chord."
Patterns
- the supertonic chord
- a supertonic seventh
The supertonic chord often leads smoothly to the dominant.
In this passage the supertonic is played in first inversion.
Jazz players frequently replace the supertonic with its relative seventh chord.
Word forms
| plural | supertonics |
|---|
Common combinations
- the supertonic chord
- The supertonic chord adds a gentle lift before the cadence.
- the supertonic degree
- He marked the supertonic degree in every key on the chart.
- a supertonic triad
- A supertonic triad in a minor key is usually diminished.
- move to the supertonic
- The bass moves to the supertonic on the second beat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- second degree
- A plainer name for the same note; it is more general and used outside music theory too.
Word family
Commonly confused: supertonic or subdominant?
supertonic vs subdominant
The subdominant is the fourth degree of the scale, not the second. The supertonic sits just above the tonic, while the subdominant sits a fifth below it.
Practice
In the key of G major, which note is the supertonic?
Choose one answer.
The supertonic is the second degree of the scale, so in G major it is A. G is the tonic and D is the dominant, which are the tempting wrong choices.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “supertonic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.