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In music theory, the root note is the pitch that establishes the tonality of a musical key, chord, or scale. ... For instance, in a C major chord, the C note is the root of the chord. You can add other pitches to that C chord, but C will remain the root. In an A minor chord, A is the root.
Is the root note the key?
The root note is the first note in a chord. ... The root note defines the 'key of a chord'. For example, if you were playing a major chord, and the root note was a 'C'. The chord would be 'C Major'.
Are root and tonic the same?
The tonic and the root are the same note when we build a chord on the first note of the scale. ... Since the note 'F' is the first note of the scale, it is the tonic. But since the note F is also the basis of the chord, it is also the root. The note F is the tonic of the F major scale and the root of the F major chord.
How do you find the root note?
The root note is always the note that is the basis for the chord, regardless of its inversion. In root position the lowest note is the root (hence the name), but other notes are the lowest in other inversions of the chord. For example, take a C Major chord. In every position, the root note is C.
