In a C major scale, which pitch serves as the anchor?

In a C major scale, which pitch serves as the anchor?

• A. The fifth pitch
• B. The second pitch
• C. The seventh pitch
• D. C, the anchor of the scale

Answer: (D)

The anchor, or tonic, is the first degree of a scale—the home pitch that names the key and provides the sense of resolution. In C major, the anchor is C. This pitch sets the tonal center: melodies and chords gravitate toward C, and musical phrases typically start or end on it, giving the music a feeling of rest when it lands there. The fifth degree in this scale is G, which functions as the dominant and tends to pull toward the home pitch but isn’t the anchor itself. The second degree is D, the supertonic, part of the scale’s motion but not its resting center. The seventh degree is B, the leading tone that strongly resolves to C, yet again it’s not the anchor.

The anchor, or tonic, is the first degree of a scale—the home pitch that names the key and provides the sense of resolution. In C major, the anchor is C. This pitch sets the tonal center: melodies and chords gravitate toward C, and musical phrases typically start or end on it, giving the music a feeling of rest when it lands there.

The fifth degree in this scale is G, which functions as the dominant and tends to pull toward the home pitch but isn’t the anchor itself. The second degree is D, the supertonic, part of the scale’s motion but not its resting center. The seventh degree is B, the leading tone that strongly resolves to C, yet again it’s not the anchor.