Music in which one tone predominates over the other tones is called tonal. Iteration is an important means of causing one tone to predominate over other tones. In simple tonal music the tone that receives the greatest stress through iteration is often the keynote or tonic. The term tonality means practically the same thing as key. Music in which a single tone predominates over the others is said to be tonal. In tonal music one tone takes precedence over all the others; this tone is called the tonal center. Harmony associated with tonal music is called tonal harmony. Within the limits of this study tonal harmony will mean harmony based upon major and minor scales.
Chords are vertical structures consisting of several tones. The simultaneous sounding of 2 tones produces a harmonic interval, but an interval is not a chord. Although a single interval may occasionally imply a chord, at least three tones are required to produce a complete chord. Diatonic triads are constructed only of notes contained in the scale being used. A triad that contains a note foreign to the key is not diatonic. Intervals combine to produce the basic components of harmony-chords. Triads are chords of three tones. Diatonic triads use only scale tones.
In a major key, the order of diatonic triads is as follows: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, viio
In a minor key (harmonic), the order of diatonic triads is as follows: i, iio, III+, iv, V, VI, viio
*the III+ may sometimes be III, (you do not necessarily use the harmonic configuration)
Chapter Two
The triad that is built on the first degree of the scale is called the tonic. The word tonic means “tone”. This is the proper name given to the triad built on the keynote of the scale. Since the keynote predominates over the remaining tones, the tonic triad is the principal triad of the key. The root of the dominant triad is a perfect fifth above the keynote. Triads whose roots are related by the interval of a perfect fifth have a close