Leading Tone Scale Degree

From bib. source

We call this one the “leading tone” because it has a very forceful nature to lead us back to tonic, not unlike the dominant. The leading tone is one scale degree under the tonic, so it has a way of “leading” back to tonic.

So, for example, for the C Major scale, the seventh scale degree would be B:

Note

By “a scale degree under the tonic,¨ the quote means counting the degrees in the reverse direction.

music music_theory leading_tone scale_degree


bibliography

  • “The Leading Tone: The 7th Scale Degree.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 65. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.