At Grade 2 you build tonic triads in your new keys and measure intervals above the tonic. Both are worked out by counting from the keynote.
The tonic triad
The tonic is the keynote, the first note of a scale. A triad is a three-note chord built from the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale. The tonic triad is therefore the chord built on the keynote, using scale degrees 1, 3 and 5. In root position the tonic sits at the bottom.
- C major tonic triad: C, E, G. G major: G, B, D. D major: D, F♯, A. F major: F, A, C.
- A major: A, C♯, E. B♭ major: B♭, D, F. E♭ major: E♭, G, B♭.
- A minor: A, C, E. D minor: D, F, A. E minor: E, G, B.
A major tonic triad sounds bright; a minor one sounds darker, because its middle note (the 3rd) is a semitone lower.
Scale degrees by number
The notes of a scale can be numbered from the keynote: the tonic is 1, and the notes above it are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 (the octave). At Grade 2 these degrees are named by number only. This lets you describe any note by its position in the scale.
Intervals above the tonic
An interval is the distance between two notes. At Grade 2 you measure intervals above the tonic and name them by number only. To find the number, count the tonic as 1 and count every letter name up to the top note, including both ends.
For example, in C major from C up to E is a 3rd (C-D-E), C up to G is a 5th (C-D-E-F-G), and C up to the C above is an 8th (an octave). Always count the bottom and top notes as well as the ones between; do not count the gaps.
Remember
- A tonic triad uses notes 1, 3 and 5 of the scale, keynote at the bottom.
- Major triads sound bright; minor triads sound darker (lower 3rd).
- Number scale degrees from the tonic as 1 up to 8 at the octave.
- To size an interval, count every letter name including both ends.