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tonality Definition

to·nal·ity (tō nalə tē)

noun pl. -·ties

  1. quality of tone
  2. Art the color scheme of a painting
  3. Music
    1. in composition, the organization of tones around a central or pivotal tone or pitch class
    2. in music based on the major-minor system, key (sense )

tonality Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • have: People have tonalities that say " don't bother me right now " and tonalities combined with facial expressions that indicate something is wrong.
  • adjust: Plus, a Tone knob adjusts the overall tonality of the pedal.
  • explore: It can be useful when dealing with some of the compositional matters that intrigue me and also in exploring tonality.
  • abandon: His class however continued in their search for a modern voice without abandoning tonality.
  • recreate: When it comes time to add vocals - or another acoustic instrument - the mic simulator recreates the ideal tonality for various recording applications.
  • contrast: The waves of sound and contrasting tonalities generate a vibe that is all-encompassing.

Adjective modifier

  • major: Table 2 shows a schematic representation of the available major tonalities using Smith's Second System.
  • minor: The finale reworks the opening orchestral theme from a minor tonality to a modal one.
  • good: Great singing isn't necessarily limited to those with the best tonality, pitch, or vocal range.
  • basic: It is not such a secret it was already clear for Marx that greed is the basic affective tonality of calculative reason.
  • new: More weight, certainly, and perhaps more color too, but only one new soft tonality among them.
  • western: But in fact the music of India and Africa and Asia and America is fantastically close to western tonality in its scalic intervals.

Modifies a noun

  • shift: In antiphonal music, or music modeled on the antiphonal situation of solo and chorus, tonality shifts regularly between solo and chorus sections.

Noun used with modifier

  • voice: The wrong voice tonality could absolutely kill a session.
  • bluesy: The bluesy tonality of this haunting song created a decidedly late-night feel, as did the gently drifting melody.

Preposition: in

  • room: There are two tonalities in the room, bisecting it almost.

Preposition: of

  • song: The bluesy tonality of this haunting song created a decidedly late-night feel, as did the gently drifting melody.
  • organ: Humidity most certainly affects the tonality of a pipe organ.
tonality Quotes

Tonality is a natural force, like gravity.

—Hindemith, Paul

Browse dictionary entries near tonality

  1. tonal
  2. ton
  3. -tomy
  4. tomtit
  5. Tomsk
  6. tompion
  7. tomorrow
  8. tomography
  9. tomogram
  10. tommyrot
  1. tondo
  2. tone
  3. tone cluster
  4. tone color
  5. tone control
  6. tone-deaf
  7. tone down
  8. tone language
  9. tone poem
  10. tonearm