Stable and unstable steps in different keys

At a music school, solfeggio homework is often given exercises for singing stable steps. This exercise is simple, beautiful and very useful.

Today our task is to figure out which sounds in the scale are stable and which are unstable. As examples, you will be offered written sound scales of tonalities up to five signs inclusive, in which stable and unstable sounds are already marked.

In each example, two keys are given at once, one major and the other parallel to it minor. So, get your bearings.

Which steps are stable and which are unstable?

Sustainable is, as you know, (I-III-V), which are related to the tonic and together make up the tonic triad. In the examples these are not shaded notes. Unstable steps are all the rest, that is (II-IV-VI-VII). In the examples, these notes are colored black. For example:

Stable and unstable degrees in C major and A minor

How are unstable steps resolved?

Unstable steps sound a little tense, and therefore “have a great desire” (that is, they gravitate) to move (that is, resolve) into stable steps. Stable steps, on the contrary, sound calm and balanced.

Unstable steps always resolve into the nearest stable ones. So, for example, the seventh and second steps gravitate towards the first, the second and fourth can resolve into the third, the fourth and sixth steps surround the fifth and therefore it is convenient for them to move into it.

You need to sing the steps in natural major and harmonic minor

You probably already know that the major and minor modes differ in their structure, in the order of tones and semitones. If you have forgotten, you can read about it here. So, for convenience, the minor in the examples is taken immediately in harmonic form, that is, with a raised seventh step. Therefore, do not be afraid of those random alteration signs that you will always come across in minor scales.

How to climb the steps?

It’s very simple: we simply sing one of the stable steps and then, in turn, move to one of the two adjacent unstable ones: first higher, then lower, or vice versa. That is, for example, in our country there are stable sounds -, so the chants will be like this:

1)    – sing until;

2)    – sing to me;

3)    – sing the salt.

Well, now let’s look at the steps in all other keys:

Stable and unstable degrees in G major and E minor

Stable and unstable degrees in D major and B minor

Stable and unstable degrees in A major and F sharp minor

Stable and unstable degrees in E major and C sharp minor

Stable and unstable degrees in B major and G sharp minor

Stable and unstable degrees in D-flat major and B-flat minor

Stable and unstable degrees in A-flat major and F minor

Stable and unstable degrees in E-flat major and C minor

Stable and unstable degrees in B-flat major and G minor

Stable and unstable degrees in F major and D minor

Well? I wish you success in your studies! You can save the page as a bookmark, since similar solfeggio tasks are asked all the time.