Leading Tone for Dummies

Leading Tone is a term that we often hear in the field of music, especially in discussions about harmony and melodies. It refers to a specific musical note within a scale that has a strong tendency to resolve or lead to another note, usually the tonic or home note of the scale. Simply put, the leading tone is like a guide or signpost that points us towards the final destination of a piece of music.

To understand the concept of a leading tone, let's imagine ourselves on a road trip. Imagine driving along a scenic highway, following a series of road signs that lead us to a beautiful beach. Now, think of the leading tone as one of these road signs. Just like how these signs tell us that the beach is up ahead or around the corner, the leading tone in music acts as a signal that tells us where the music is headed.

In music, we use a system called a scale to organize notes and create melodies. A scale is like a ladder with rungs, and each rung represents a particular note. So, when we play a scale, we are essentially playing a sequence of notes in a specific order. The leading tone, in most scales, is the second-to-last step on this ladder.

Now, let's understand how the leading tone functions within a scale. Imagine we are playing the C major scale on a piano. Starting from the note C, we play all the white keys until we reach the next C. In this scale, the leading tone is the note B. It sits just one step below the home or tonic note, which is C.

So why is the leading tone called the "leading" tone? Well, just like how our road signs direct us and lead us to our destination, the leading tone creates tension and anticipation in music. When we play the leading tone, it wants to resolve or move smoothly to the tonic note, creating a sense of resolution. It's like when we see a sign pointing towards the beach, and we can't help but get excited and eager to reach our sunny destination.

Additionally, the leading tone doesn't only show up in major scales like the C major scale we just talked about. It can also be found in other scales, such as minor scales. In a minor scale, the leading tone is usually located just one step below the tonic note. For example, in the A minor scale, the leading tone is a G#.

So, to wrap it up, the leading tone is a musical note within a scale that has a strong pull or tendency to resolve to the tonic note. It acts as a guide or signpost within the musical journey, creating tension and anticipation before reaching the final destination. In other words, the leading tone is like a road sign that steers the music in a particular direction and keeps us engaged as listeners.