Tonality

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tonality

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is tonality?Tonality is like a musical home base that helps songs feel complete. It organizes pitches and chords into a hierarchy, with the tonic as the most stable center.
2. Why is the tonic important?The tonic is the most stable pitch or chord. It acts as a gravitational center and the final point of resolution, giving music a sense of home.

Tonic: The principal pitch or chord in a tonal composition, serving as the point of ultimate stability and resolution.
Key: The system of tonality based on a particular tonic, defining the scale and harmonic relationships.
Cadence: A harmonic progression that marks the conclusion of a phrase, section, or piece, often involving resolution to the tonic.
Dominant: The fifth scale degree and the chord built upon it, which has a strong tendency to resolve to the tonic.