submediant
9.9
The sixth note of a major or minor scale three notes below the main note of the scale
- noun
- /ˌsʌbˈmiːdiənt/
- Specialized
:
submediante
- In the key of C major, the note A is the submediant, being the sixth note of the scale.
Examples
-
So for minor keys that have a key signature containing flats, the last flat will be on the sixth scale degree, or submediant.
Academic text (2001) -
They can progress to learning a repertoire of music that includes subdominant harmony, then mediant, submediant, supertonic, and secondary dominant, and eventually more chromatic harmonies.
Academic text (1999) -
The musician explained that the submediant is an important note for creating a sense of resolution in a piece.
-
When composing, he often returns to the submediant to develop his melodies further.
Surface Forms
submediant singular
submediants plural
Morphology
Etymology
Submediant comes from Latin parts sub- ('below') and mediant from medius ('middle'), so it means 'below the middle'. It names the sixth note of a scale, the note a third below the tonic, the main note of the scale.
