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Music vocabulary · Music Theory and Harmony

Leading tone

Meaning in music, with examples

nounCommon term

In music, leading tone means: A note one semitone below the tonic that often sounds as though it should rise to that tonic.

In Turkish: yeden ses

How it is used

Common in harmony and ear training; British books also say leading note. In minor keys, the seventh degree is often raised to create it.

Example sentences

  1. Let the leading tone rise to C in the soprano part.

    The upper voice moves from B to C, resolving its pull toward the tonic.

  2. The raised G sharp acts as a leading tone in this A minor melody.

    Raising G puts it a semitone below A and strengthens the approach to that note.

Common collocations

  • resolve the leading tone
  • raised leading tone
  • leading tone movement
  • minorDescribing a scale, key, chord or interval built with a minor third. Music in a minor key is often described as dark, serious or sad.
  • scaleA set of notes played in order of pitch, going up or down, that follows a fixed pattern of steps. Scales are the building blocks of melodies and chords.
  • dominant functionThe harmonic role that creates tension and points strongly toward resolution, usually to the tonic chord.

More terms: Music Theory and Harmony

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