The Tone of Do Major

What is Do Major

A tone is the «centre of gravity» of a work: a main note, the tonic, and a scale that is organized around it. In Do Major the tonic is Su and the scale is greater, that is, with a third greater (Do-Mi) that gives it an open and bright color.

Share armor with The minor, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with Do minor, his homonymous tonality, which carries three bemoles.

The armor

Do major does not carry any changes in the armor: it is played only with the white keys of the piano.

The scale

The scale of Do major follows the pattern of tones and semitones of any larger scale (tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone):

• Do - Re - Mi - Fa - Sol - La - Si - Do
• The semitones fall between Me and Fa and between Yes and Do. That seventh note, Yes, is the «sensitive»: is half the tone of the tonic and pulls it into resolution.

The main chords

• I · Tónica, Do major: Do - Mi - Sol. The point of rest.
• II · Other: Re-Fa-La. Prepare the dominant one gently.
• IV · Subdominant, Fa major: Fa-la-do. Get away from the tonic without tension.
• V · Dominant, Sun major: Sol - Yes - Re. Contains the sensitive (Yes) and pushes towards the tonic.
• V7 · Seventh dominant: Sol - Yes - Re - Fa. The maximum voltage before solving.
• VI · The minor: La-do-mi. It is the tonic of the relative minor and brings a touch of shadow.

Examples of progress

• Perfect chain (I - IV - V7 - I): Do → Fa → Sol7 → Do. The formula that confirms the tonality at the end of almost any work.
• II - V - I: Rem → Sol7 → Do. The most used progression from harmony, from Baroque to jazz.
• Broken (V7 - VI): Sol7 → Lam. The ear waits for Do and receives a minor chord: a small blow of surprise.
• Modulation to the dominant: Do → Re7 → Sun. The Fa♯ of the Re7 chord is the sensitive of Sun and takes the music to the major Sun, the most common destination of a work in Do major.

Character

No alterations, Do major is the tonality «white» of the piano and the first one to learn. That is why it is associated with clarity, simplicity and light: it is no coincidence that Haydn chose it for the moment when «the light is made» in The creation. Today we know that with the temperate tuning all the tonalities sound equal to «tuned»but these associations continue to be part of the tradition and the way the composers choose them.

Works to listen to her

• Bach: Prelude and escape No. 1, BWV 846, of The well-tempered key, book I (1722). The prelude, all arpegios, is pure-state tonality.
• Haydn: The creation (1798): the orchestral explosion of «And the light was made.» Sounds like Do Major.
• Mozart: Symphony No. 41, «Jupiter», K. 551 (1788).
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, op. 21 (1800), which begins with a chord that is not yet de Do major and reaches the tonic little by little.
• Schubert: Symphony No. 9, «The Great», D. 944 (1825-1826).
• Chaikovski: Serenade for ropes, op. 48 (1880).