Standalone Infographic I2

Scale Degree Stability Ladder

Seven rungs from DO (most stable, bottom) to FA (most tense, top) — with the FA-TI tritone callout
↑ Ascending the Ladder = Rising Tension ↑
▲ Tension ↑
7
FA
Tension Peak
Maximum dissonance. The subdominant — forms a tritone with TI. The strongest ache available in the key.
Blues, ache, modal color, maximum harmonic friction
6
TI
Leading Urgency
The leading tone — pulls upward toward DO with magnetic force. Tritone partner with FA. Together they define the strongest harmonic tension in the key.
Suspension build, dominant 7th chords, climactic phrases
5
RE
Open Yearning
A question waiting for an answer. The supertonic — wants to fall back to DO or rise to MI. Creates forward motion and yearning.
Verse endings, rising phrases, forward motion, questions
4
LA
Warm Border
On the border between stable and tense. Can rest without full resolution. The emotional wildcard — soulful, bittersweet, expressive.
Soul phrases, emotional verses, bittersweet moments
3
MI
Sweet Stability
Warm and settled. The 5th partial of the natural overtone series — consonant with DO. Emotionally bright and singable.
Gentle arrivals, emotional warmth, classic melodic resting tone
2
SO
Strong Confidence
The dominant — acoustically the closest partner to DO. Strong and stable but not fully home. Power and resolve without complete arrival.
Power phrases, pre-arrival resting points, masculine strength
1
DO
Home Base
The tonic — maximum stability. The key center. Every other note is defined by its relationship to DO. Landing here feels like arriving.
Phrase endings, chorus peaks, moments of resolution
The Tritone Pair
FA
↕
TI
FA + TI = tritone (3 whole steps). Most dissonant interval in Western music. FA resolves down to MI; TI resolves up to DO.
↓ Resolution ▼
↓ Descending the Ladder = Resolution — Start Here ↓
Stability order is based on acoustic consonance with the tonic: DO(1)→SO(2)→MI(3)→LA(4)→RE(5)→TI(6)→FA(7)