What is a "leading tone"

[Todd Tipton]

Originally Posted by Wyllys

Whereas his brother Groucho would get up, go to the piano, play "Sol La Sol Ta" and go back to bed.

You've CLEARLY heard the story then...lol ;- )

[Todd Tipton]

Originally Posted by RodB

It can be quite confusing at first when you are brought up on one and are trying to communicate with people that only know the other.

BTW - Ireland and the UK as well as other English speaking countries use movable 'Do', the rest of Europe and much of the world do indeed use a fixed 'Do'.

Interesting. I didn't know the system was so segregated. Regardless, I think they are different tools and useful in different ways. I teach the fixed solfege in my studio and I'm in the U.S. On the other hand, I see it as a "guitar thing."

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Todd Tipton

Interesting. I didn't know the system was so segregated. Regardless, I think they are different tools and useful in different ways. I teach the fixed solfege in my studio and I'm in the U.S.

Can you explain the advantages of fixed do? Do you also use the letter names, ABCDEFG?

[Todd Tipton]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Can you explain the advantages of fixed do? Do you also use the letter names, ABCDEFG?

Sorry, I am just now seeing this. The fixed do gives a one syllable name to each and every note. I am not great with it, however a little bit goes a long way. One of the most practical uses I find is as a memory aid. For example, to quickly spout off "fe so me so fe mi fe" and to see that in my mind on the guitar. Much easier than trying to quickly sing, "F# G E G F# E F#."

And it really IS a universal language. Based on my experience, I've been in situations where I do not speak the naguage of the other person. They usually know solfege.

With what I said comes a deeper implication: there are lots of tools I use to learn things in lots of different ways. This is just one of those tools. And this is just one of the ways I use solfege.

In my studio, I teach a comprehensive approach. At any given time, a student is really learning five or more things at the same time...LOL As an example, I might need to work on refining a right hand position. The student is hyper focused on that one task only playing two notes. Because of that, it is very easy without effort to learn the two letter names and the solfege names. My students sort of accidentally learn how to read, solfege, etc. They don't know they are learning it because it is such a small amount of material and is repeatedly mentioned as we focus on something else...lol

[willimek]

Here is another definition of the leading-tone effect:

https://www.academia.edu/36495364/Wh...a_Leading_Tone

Bernd Willimek

[macmanmatty]

Originally Posted by Dylan

In order to be a leading tone by the textbook definition, it has to be one fret (a half step) below the other note. A note that is two frets (a whole step down) is technically called a sub-tonic.

Only for major keys for minor keys the leading ton aka leading note is a while step down

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

Only for major keys for minor keys the leading ton aka leading note is a while step down

The "leading tone" is a half-step down in a minor key too. That's what harmonic minor is for, to give a major-key-style leading tone in a minor key.

There seems to be some differences of opinion about whether "subtonic" can refer to any note below the tonic, whether it's a whole step or half-step. But "leading tone" refers only to the half-step (the major 7th in major or harmonic minor), because of its "leading" effect (when going upward at least).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading-tone
https://www.ars-nova.com/Theory%20Q&A/Q26.html
https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/23

[macmanmatty]

Thank you for that information i though the leading note was always the 7th degree of the scale but I was wrong.

[rick-slo]

In a broader context it does it's part (relatively short temporal wise compared to several other things) in creating
an inevitable forward flow that usually exists in a music composition and performance.