Submediant

[6] In major, the submediant chord also often appears as the starting point of a series of perfect descending fifths and ascending fourths leading to the dominant, vi–ii–V.

A more complete version starts the series of fifths on the chord of iii, iii–vi–ii–V–I, as in measures 11 and 12 of Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice".

Another frequent progression is the sequence of descending thirds (I–vi–IV–ii–|–V in root position or first inversion), alternating major and minor chords.

This chord progression moves from tonic I, to the submediant (vi), to the supertonic ii, to the dominant V7.

[9] The term mediant appeared in English in 1753 to refer to the note "midway between the tonic and the dominant".

[10] The term submediant must have appeared soon after to similarly denote the note midway between the tonic and the subdominant.