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Module 2 · Harmony

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Tonic as Gravity

How the I chord pulls everything home

🎯 Practice it: After the Cadence →

🔍 Discover

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Musical Gravity

The tonic (degree 1) is like gravity in music - everything wants to fall back to it. This creates the sense of 'home' that makes melodies satisfying.

The Unresolved vs Resolved

Listen to these two examples and feel the difference:

Unresolved - Stopping on degree 7

I

V

Then play: 5-6-7 and STOP. How does it feel?

Resolved - Coming home to degree 1

I

V

I

Now play: 5-6-7-1. Feel the satisfaction!

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Practice this skill

Train your ear with these drills

After the Cadence

A V–I cadence sets the key, then a final note plays. Name its degree.

Which Scale Degree?

A chord sets the key, then a note plays. Identify it as degree 1–7.

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▸ Read the full lesson as text

Musical Gravity

The tonic (degree 1) is like gravity in music - everything wants to fall back to it. This creates the sense of 'home' that makes melodies satisfying.

The Unresolved vs Resolved

Listen to these two examples and feel the difference:

Unresolved - Stopping on degree 7

Then play: 5-6-7 and STOP. How does it feel?

Resolved - Coming home to degree 1

Now play: 5-6-7-1. Feel the satisfaction!

Interactive Exploration

Create melodies and feel the pull back to 1

Distance from Home

Each scale degree has a different 'distance' from home:

• 1: You're home!
• 7: Maximum tension - desperately wants to resolve
• 5: Stable but not home
• 4: Gentle pull back to 3 or up to 5
• 2: Wants to fall to 1 or rise to 3

Try These Journeys

The Classic: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1
The Leap: 1-5-7-1
The Wanderer: 1-3-5-6-4-2-7-1

Notice how each creates different emotional arcs!

The Power of Delay

The longer you avoid the tonic, the more satisfying it feels when you finally arrive. Try playing around degree 7 for a while before resolving to 1!