Topmusicanswers
- What does the leading tone resolve to?
- Does leading tone always resolve?
- What is the leading tone in music?
- Why is it called a leading tone?
What does the leading tone resolve to?
Unlike a dominant chord where the leading-tone can be frustrated and not resolve to the tonic if it is in an inner voice, the leading-tone in a leading-tone triad must resolve to the tonic. Commonly, the fifth of the triad resolves down since it is phenomenologically similar to the seventh in a dominant seventh chord.
Does leading tone always resolve?
The leading tone should almost always resolve to scale-degree 1 except when “springing” a leading tone in an inner voice (see below). ... It's also possibel to resolve scale degree ^2 (re) to scale degree ^1 (do). This often necessitates the use of an incomplete tonic chord.
What is the leading tone in music?
If the seventh note is a half step below the tonic, it is called a leading note (or “leading tone”). Play the C Major Scale, notice how the seventh note wants to lead into the tonic. Leading tones also occur in harmonic minor and melodic minor. In natural minor, the seventh note is a whole step below the tonic.
Why is it called a leading tone?
We call the seventh scale degree of any major scale the leading tone. It's a very descriptive name because the sound of it basically leads us to crave and expect a resolution up to the tonic.
