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Examples of leading tone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steel guitarist Justin Schipper slid a bundle of leading tones into the mix during overdubs that knit the production together.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 7 Feb. 2024
And then leading them with all those leading tones force the singer to sing.
—Jordan A. Rothacker, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2023
There’s no leading tone of B.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2021
Without getting too technical, the mixolydian is a type of major scale in which the leading tone—used relentlessly in pop music to build tension and yearning—is replaced by a flat seven.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 23 Aug. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leading tone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1889, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near leading tone
Cite this Entry
“Leading tone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20tone. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
leading tone
noun
: the seventh musical degree of a major or minor scale
called also subtonic
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