Finishing on the tonic

[Acid Mitch]

I've seen a few people mention that most tunes finish on the tonic.
How many of you guys actually do this ?

I find starting on the tonic is easy but I never get things sounding right when I'm trying to finish on a specific note.
How do you hit the target(so to speak) ?

[llatham]

I've seen a few people mention that most tunes finish on the tonic.
How many of you guys actually do this ?

I find starting on the tonic is easy but I never get things sounding right when I'm trying to finish on a specific note.
How do you hit the target(so to speak) ?

Hi Mitch.

The "ending on the tonic" thing is kind of an oversimplification.

Tonal Music, the music of the Common Practice Period, which basically includes the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.) ALWAYS ends on the tonic. That's a big part of what makes it "tonal" music.

There are very few examples of standalone pieces from that period that do not end on the tonic. Generally speaking, if a piece doesn't end on the tonic it's typically because it's a segue into another piece (like some Bach chorales don't end on the Tonic but they end on a new key to smooth the transition to the next piece in the work).

Prior to the CPP and Tonality, music was Modal. From about 500 to 1600, music ended on the "Finalis" or Final of a mode. However, it was not uncommon to end on note (or later, harmony) that was not the Finalis of the mode.

After the Romantic period, Tonality gave way to Atonality and the concept of a "Tonic" was either ignored completely, or addressed in new ways. For example, Mahler ended a piece on the chord C-E-G-A, which is something his predecessors wouldn't have done. At the same time, Strauss was ending "Salome" with a "bi-chord" - C-E-G with F#-A#-C#. And Stravinsky wasn't really concerned about a "Tonic" in the traditional sense at all.

In pop music, the need to end on the Tonic is a holdover from the CPP era and is something that most people do not adhere to with any regularity.

One thing I think that can be said is, in general, in music that promotes a strong tonic, ending on the tonic seems more "final" and ending on something else "leaves us hanging". So in a sense, how you end, depends on the effect you want.

A couple of interesting things have happened with popular music in the recording era - Fade Outs! The music fades out so you never really get that final chord!

One way you can "hit the target" if you want to is to "set up" the Tonic. The easiest way to do this is with a chord progression or pattern that logically leads to it.

For example, if you play Dm - G7 - most people are going to assume the a C chord should be the next chord.

Another common one is to play Eb - Bb - and then go to C.

One of the best things you can do is try and find the Tonic or "goal" in other music, and then figure out how it's "set up". Then you can incorporate those little progressions into your own works.

But don't forget, a piece doesn't HAVE to have a Tonic.

HTH,
Steve

[buscemi]

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
Someday I'm going to make her mine, oh yeh,
someday I'm going to make her mine.

Pop, doesn't end on the tonic, at the end of the album no less. Priceless.

[ynot]

in bluesy songs it's common to end on the 3rd or b7th as they're the two tones that define the dominant 7th sound.

[Jake Jackson]

Think more of ending on the tonic chord instead of the tonic note. Many songs end both phrases within the song and the song itself on the 3rd and sometimes the 5th of the chord at hand: on the last note in the bar, the left hand may play, or be sustaining, the tonic in octaves, but the right hand plays one of these other notes as the last note of a phrase or of the song. The third is popular, since it determines the basic "quality" of the chord (major or minor), and since the penultimate chord is often the 5th--so playing the 5th as the last note, unless you hit the bass harder for clarification, can sound as though there is a less firm movement towards resolution or at the least give a more open or broader sound. (Which may be what you want.)

An exercise worth trying: apply this to all of the chords in an improvised three chord song, say a country song or a blues: for every chord change, play the octave of the tonic for the chord in the left hand and just the third in the right hand on each beat. Then change chords and play the third of that new chord on each beat. Try different octaves for each note, too. Playing an E and then the A above it creates a very different sound from moving to a lower A. Then do the same thing with the fifth of each chord. Very basic, but it helps you to recognize the sound of the third and fifth in upper registers and will suggest many ideas. (It's actually very hard to do this with either the 3rd or the 5th without playing other notes and thus creating a melody.) Then try mixing things up, alternating between the 3rd for one chord and the 5th for another, etc. Then reversing it so the 5th is played for the first chord, etc. Then bring in the tonic for each chord--the mathematical possibilities grow quickly.

Also try retaining the same note, the same original tonic, third or fifth, while changing chords. Just play the C over everything. Then the E, and then the G, and then try mixing this up with playing just 3rds of new chords on top, etc.

Non-triad notes sometimes get emphasized at the end,too. Playing a major second and the tonic at the same time gives a more open sound. Very broadly speaking, for what could be called conventional melodies that resolve\release tension at the end, the major 4th is avoided as the last note (since it creates a suspended chord), as is the major 6th (which creates or suggests the relative minor chord of the key) and the major 7th, and flatted 4th or flatted 5th since they want to pull towards notes in the triad. But these are just general principles--some songs with some chords in some voicings could use these notes as the final note in a phrase or song.

Sorry for the long post. Coffee, coffee, coffee...

[Acid Mitch]

Thanks for the answers guys. Some great info in there.
Thing's are a bit clearer now.

[tapper mike]

Most of the blues turn arounds I know end on the 5th.

[Acid Mitch]

Most of the blues turn arounds I know end on the 5th.

in bluesy songs it's common to end on the 3rd or b7th as they're the two tones that define the dominant 7th sound.

I guess you guys aren't in the same band ?

[ruzz]

I've seen a few people mention that most tunes finish on the tonic.
How many of you guys actually do this ?

I find starting on the tonic is easy but I never get things sounding right when I'm trying to finish on a specific note.
How do you hit the target(so to speak) ?

Hi Mitch.

The "ending on the tonic" thing is kind of an oversimplification.

Tonal Music, the music of the Common Practice Period, which basically includes the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.) ALWAYS ends on the tonic. That's a big part of what makes it "tonal" music.

Fantastic stuff Steve. It reads very much like a precis from the book linked below:

Mitch, here's a link to a book at amazon - it says "unavailable" on the page but I think that's the hardcover version - do a search on the title. I've given you this link so that you see the reviews. You may or may not be a Beatles fan, but don't let that colour your thinking: this book will tell everything (and more than) you ever wanted to know about the tonic and everything else about music theory as it affects songwriting. And the key thing is, this material (Beatles songs) is readily available everywhere.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Songwriting-Sec ... 267&sr=8-1

HTH - Ruzz

[ynot]

i have to agree,most blues turnarounds do indeed end on the 5th,however the question wasn't about a turnaround but an ending.if its the end what could it possibly "turnaround" to?.lol.also btw,i was refering to chord tones not the chords themselve.