tonic

tonic, also called keynote, in music, the first note (degree) of any diatonic (e.g., major or minor) scale. It is the most important degree of the scale, serving as the focus for both melody and harmony.

For example, in both C major and C minor, the tonic is C. However, relative keys (two different scales that share a key signature) have different tonics. For example, C major and A minor share a key signature that feature no sharps or flats, despite having different tonic pitches (C and A, respectively).

Scale Degrees. Each note of a scale has a special name, called a scale degree. The first (and last) note is called the tonic. The fifth note is called the dominant.

The tonic. The tonic is the first degree of the scale. Every scale has a tonic, whether it is the natural minor scale, the A major scale degrees, or the minor pentatonic scale degrees. The tonic note defines the name of the scale and also serves as the tonal center of gravity for the scale.

The tonic note gives a sense of finality to a song.

The tonic chord is the first chord of a musical piece, which like the triad, is built on the tonic note. This chord is the root of the melody or song and creates the tonal center of the composition. In the C major scale example, the tonic chord would also be C major since it is the first note of the scale.

) of the diatonic scale (the first note of a scale) and the tonal center or final resolution tone that is commonly used in the final cadence in tonal (musical key-based) classical music, popular music, and traditional music. In the movable do solfège system, the tonic note is sung as do.

using differences in tone or pitch to distinguish between words that are otherwise phonemically identical: a tonic language. pertaining to tone or accent in speech. Phonetics. (of a syllable) bearing the principal stress or accent, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.

In Western popular music, songs often begin on the tonic '1' chord of the song's musical key. If the song is in the key of 'C', many songs will begin and end with that C chord.

In the major/minor Tonal system, the tonic chord and the I (or i ) chord - that is, the chord with the first scale degree as its root - are synonymous.

The tonic is established by the root tone, the third and the fifth which assembled build the tonic triad and give to the musician and listener the feeling to be at “home”, if not at the beginning then mostly at the end of a phrase.

In Roman numeral analysis, the tonic chord is typically symbolized by the Roman numeral "I" if it is major and by "i" if it is minor.