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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Cite this Entry
“Leading tone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20tone. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share