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In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, the submediant is the sixth tonal degree of the diatonic scale
Diatonic scale

In music theory, a diatonic scale is a seven note musical scale comprising five whole steps and two half steps, in which the half steps are maximally separated....
. It is so called because it is a third below the tonic
Tonic (music)

The tonic is the first note of a scale in the tonality method of musical composition. The chord #The Triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord ....
, in contrast to the mediant
Mediant

In music, the mediant is the third degree of the diatonic Scale , being the "middle" note of the Tonic triad .In music theory, the mediant chord is symbolized by the Roman numeral III if it is major or iii if it is minor....
 being a third above the tonic. It is the mediant of the subdominant
Subdominant

In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the Tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant....
 triad
Triad (music)

In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:...
.

In music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, the submediant chord is symbolized by the Roman numeral VI if it is major or vi if it is minor.

For example, in the C major scale
Major scale

In music theory, the major scale or Ionian mode scale is one of the diatonic scale Musical scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher....
 (white keys on a piano, starting on C), the submediant is the note A; and the submediant chord
Chord (music)

In music and music theory a chord is a set of two or more different note that sound simultaneously. Most often, in European-influenced music, chords are tertian Sonority that can be constructed as stacks of thirds relative to some underlying musical scale....
 is A-minor consisting of the notes A, C, and E.






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In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, the submediant is the sixth tonal degree of the diatonic scale
Diatonic scale

In music theory, a diatonic scale is a seven note musical scale comprising five whole steps and two half steps, in which the half steps are maximally separated....
. It is so called because it is a third below the tonic
Tonic (music)

The tonic is the first note of a scale in the tonality method of musical composition. The chord #The Triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord ....
, in contrast to the mediant
Mediant

In music, the mediant is the third degree of the diatonic Scale , being the "middle" note of the Tonic triad .In music theory, the mediant chord is symbolized by the Roman numeral III if it is major or iii if it is minor....
 being a third above the tonic. It is the mediant of the subdominant
Subdominant

In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the Tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant....
 triad
Triad (music)

In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:...
.

In music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, the submediant chord is symbolized by the Roman numeral VI if it is major or vi if it is minor.

For example, in the C major scale
Major scale

In music theory, the major scale or Ionian mode scale is one of the diatonic scale Musical scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher....
 (white keys on a piano, starting on C), the submediant is the note A; and the submediant chord
Chord (music)

In music and music theory a chord is a set of two or more different note that sound simultaneously. Most often, in European-influenced music, chords are tertian Sonority that can be constructed as stacks of thirds relative to some underlying musical scale....
 is A-minor consisting of the notes A, C, and E. Therefore, Am is the vi chord in the C major scale. Further, in the A natural minor scale
Minor scale

A minor scale in music theory is a diatonic scale with a third scale degree at an Interval of a minor third above the Tonic . While this definition encompasses Musical mode with the minor third, such as Dorian mode, the term may more usually refer only to the natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales, descri...
 (same white keys, now starting on A), the submediant is the note F; and the submediant chord is F (or F-major) consisting of the notes F, A, and C. Therefore, F is the VI chord in the A (natural) minor scale.

The submediant function is easily explained in reference to jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
 music, where it is used in the "ice cream change
50s progression

The 50s progression is a chord progression used in Western popular music. As the name implies, it was common in the 1950s and early 1960s and is particularly associated with doo-wop....
" or "blues for alice" progression, which moves from the tonic
Tonic (music)

The tonic is the first note of a scale in the tonality method of musical composition. The chord #The Triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord ....
 through the submediant on the way to the ubiquitous II-V-I
II-V-I

The ii-V-I turnaround or progression, also known as the dominant cadence, is a common cadence chord progression used in a wide variety of music genres, especially jazz harmony....
 Jazz sequence (part of the cycle of fifths
Circle of fifths

In music theory, the circle of fifths shows the relationships among the twelve tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys....
). The progression's consistency is amplified by the submediant's fifth-relationship above the supertonic
Supertonic

In music or music theory, the supertonic is the second degree or note of a diatonic scale . For example, in the C major scale , the supertonic is the note D; and the supertonic chord uses the notes D, F, and A....
. This submediant role -- in which it essentially extends from the tonic as a way of "passing" to a subdominant (IV) or supertonic (II) harmony, is as common in popular and classical music as it is in jazz, or any other musical language related to Western European tonality.

"Submediant" also refers to a relationship of musical keys. For example, relative to the key of C major, the key of A major (or A minor) is the submediant. Modulation (change of key) to the submediant is relatively rare, compared with, say, modulation to the dominant
Dominant (music)

In music, the dominant is the fifth degree of the Scale . For example, in the C major scale , the dominant is the note G; and the dominant chord uses the notes G, B, and D....
, and gives a feeling of relaxation. Susan McClary
Susan McClary

Susan McClary is a musicologist considered to be a significant figure in the "New Musicology". She is noted for her work combining musicology and feminism....
 says that modulation to the lowered submediant (in C: A?) represents a dream-like state of escape.

In German theory derived from Hugo Riemann
Hugo Riemann

Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo Riemann was a Germany music theory. He should not be confused with the mathematician Bernhard Riemann.Riemann was born at Grossmehlra, near Sondershausen....
 the submediant in major is considered the tonic parallel
Tonic parallel

In music theory, the tonic parallel is a diatonic function. It is the relative key to the Tonic , and is thus considered to have or fulfill the function of the tonic....
 (US relative), Tp, and the minor the subdominant parallel
Subdominant parallel

In music theory, the subdominant parallel is terminology used in German theory derived mainly from Hugo Riemann, Sp, in major, and sP, in minor, is the relative key to the subdominant and is thus considered to have or fulfill the function of the subdominant....
, sP.