What is the tonic commonly called in scale theory?

What is the tonic commonly called in scale theory?

• A. The resting tone
• B. The leading tone
• C. The dominant
• D. The subdominant

Answer: (B)

The tonic is the home pitch of the scale—the central note that defines the key and toward which phrases resolve. It provides a sense of rest and acts as the tonal center you return to. The leading tone, on the other hand, is the seventh scale degree that strongly tends to move upward to the tonic, creating a pull toward that home pitch. The dominant is the fifth degree and the subdominant is the fourth; both contribute to establishing and moving away from the tonic, but the tonic itself is the home pitch.

The tonic is the home pitch of the scale—the central note that defines the key and toward which phrases resolve. It provides a sense of rest and acts as the tonal center you return to. The leading tone, on the other hand, is the seventh scale degree that strongly tends to move upward to the tonic, creating a pull toward that home pitch. The dominant is the fifth degree and the subdominant is the fourth; both contribute to establishing and moving away from the tonic, but the tonic itself is the home pitch.