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leading note

British  
/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

noun

  1. another word for subtonic

  2. (esp in cadences) a note, usually the subtonic of a scale, that tends most naturally to resolve to the note lying one semitone above it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

But Gaga goes down, leaving that “bad” leading note hanging.

From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2014

It is in a curious minor mode, almost F minor, but wanting the leading note, which is replaced by E flat.

From Jamaican Song and Story Annancy stories, digging sings, ring tunes, and dancing tunes by Walter Jekyll

Brunetiere, his fervent admirer, has named him the theologian of Providence, and has shown that in all his writings this doctrine is a leading note.

From The Idea of Progress An inguiry into its origin and growth by J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury

But sorrow is not the leading note of children, nor should it be of humanity in growth.

From Recent Developments in European Thought by Various

The epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians strike the leading note of the controversies of the Church in this region during its first ages.

From The Expositor's Bible: Ephesians by G. G. Findlay

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