The word “tonic” can be used to describe a chord, note, or key. The tonic chord or tonic note is the first chord or note of a major scale, and it creates a feeling of stability and restfulness. It is considered to be the first “degree” of a scale, meaning it is the starting point.
In music, the tonic is a major note that defines a piece’s key. It sets the first impression for other notes, acting as the foundational pitch for all others.
Key takeaways
- Tonic Note: The first note of a scale, creating stability and restfulness in music.
- Tonic Chord: Built on the tonic note, consisting of scale degrees 1, 3, and 5, often used to end or lead into new sections of songs.
- Chord Variants: Dominant, subdominant, and leading tone chords add dynamic and tonal variations within music compositions.
- Role in Western Music: Tonic note often serves as a stable framework, creating tension and release, essential for guiding listeners through a piece.
- Emotional Impact: Proper use of tonic notes and chords is crucial for evoking emotions and maintaining listener interest.
Music serves as a form of art and a stress reliever. It’s deeply personal; sounds that soothe one person might annoy another. This makes music listening a highly subjective experience.
So, what is the tonic note?
The tonic note is the starting point of a scale. The tonic chord includes just the notes from this scale, creating a sense of rest and stability. This stable feeling helps end songs or transition to new sections.
The relationship between the tonic note, chord, and scale forms the foundation of melodies. Most western music uses multiple sections with different moods to engage listeners throughout a song or an entire piece.
In some cultures, music strongly emphasizes the tonic note. In western culture, though, it serves as a stable framework, creating tension and release in songs. Listeners expect a return to the base tone after exploring different musical directions. This makes it easier to surprise them and introduce novelty.
There are some exceptions to these generalizations, but they do serve as good starting points. Identifying tonics or even diatonic notes can be tricky if listeners are unfamiliar with the instrumentation in many contemporary pieces. Still, this understanding provides a useful foundation for more complex music than just the tonic note and chord.
Some pieces break these rules and can get complicated when listeners expect one thing but get another. So, while it’s useful to know about tonics, it’s also fun to hunt for them and figure out what’s happening in the music.
What are the tonic chords?
The tonic chords are likely familiar to most music listeners. They’re commonly used in pop music since they give a sense of rest at the end of a chord progression.
Built on scale degrees 1, 3, and 5, the tonic chord contains only notes from the Ionian mode. It has an ambiguous quality, neither major nor minor, making it key to rhythmically ending a song or section after other chords build tension.
Non-tonic chords add tension and ambiguity in music, allowing for various nuances. However, lacking a sense of center can be distracting. That’s why songs ending with tonic chords or cadences are enjoyable; they offer a sense of restfulness after chord changes.
There are three types of chords for each scale degree: dominant, subdominant, and leading tone chords. While all are common, the dominant chord is the most frequently heard because it resolves well to the tonic.
The dominant chord is based on the fifth scale degree and includes a major triad with a minor seventh. It concludes with a diminished fifth, making it ideal for resolving into the tonic. This feature makes it a strong choice as a cadential chord for transitioning between sections of music.
The subdominant variant starts on the fourth scale degree and includes a major or minor triad. This chord serves two main purposes. Firstly, in a “plagal cadence,” it summarizes music concisely. Secondly, it leads back to the tonic, ensuring the final chords are always tonic chords.
The leading tone variant, built on the seventh scale degree, contains a diminished triad. This chord smoothly transitions to dominant or subdominant with half-step movement from the third to fifth scale degrees. It can also shift directly to another tonic chord.
Using all three variants in succession creates a distinct sound, often referred to as an “echo” effect or call and response. This technique, where the same melody is passed between instruments, shapes the dynamic flow of the chord progression. It permits more subtle changes than other chords can.
