Tonicrelated

Tonicrelated is a term used primarily in music theory and musicology to describe elements that are closely associated with the tonal center, or tonic, of a work. As a descriptive label, it covers components whose function or sonority reinforces the sense of a tonic key, including harmonic progressions, melodic gestures, and formal structures that aim toward the tonic.

In practice, tonicrelated content includes diatonic chords that establish or prolong the tonic, such as the tonic chord I and its closely related relatives (for example III and VI in a major key), as well as cadential patterns that return to the tonic and melodic motifs that resolve to the tonic pitch. It may also describe tonal prolongations, such as bass or harmonic devices that heighten the anchor of the tonic, and melodic trajectories that cadentially point back to the tonic.

As a term, tonicrelated is not a widely standardized concept. It is a label used by authors or annotation schemes in musical analysis and data sets to mark features that contribute to establishing a tonic center. Because there is no formal taxonomy, its scope can vary across sources and applications, particularly in analytic writing and music-information-retrieval contexts.

Outside music, the term tonicrelated is uncommon. The word tonic itself has other established meanings in pharmacology and linguistics, but tonicrelated is primarily meaningful within discussions of tonal music and related analytical frameworks.