Central to his concerns on the subject is the concept of monotonality which permeates a great part of his tonal principles. The dissertation is divided in six chapters. The first addresses the foundations of the tonal system derived from the overtone series. The elements which contribute for a definite tonal expression is the subject of the second chapter, these are summarized by root progressions, characteristic pitches, and the origin of the substitute tones. The concept of monotonality is accomplished through the concepts of substitution, neutralization, and tonal regions, these are the topics of the third chapter.
Tonal function is the subject of study in the fourth chapter.
The latter subject is discussed in the fifth chapter which addresses the Extended Tonality. The notion of an extended tonality begins with the concept of the emancipation of the dissonances. This starting point is further developed into the notions of an extended tonality which comprises the concepts of suspended tonality and floating tonality, both are complementary. The inclusion of non-tonal elements in a tonal context is considered the last level of development in extended tonality. These topics are illustrated in short analytical examples from works by Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg.