Secondary Leading Tone Chords

 

Lesson 25

November 3rd, 2021

Lesson 25

Lecture notes:
  • The secondary leading tone chord creates a temporary tonic by resolving a viio7 chord to a V chord.
  • To find the leading tone note of the tonicized V chord, you simply go down diatonically by a half step to get the desired note. So, for example, in the key of C major, the fifth degree would be G, and the seventh degree of the fifth note (G) would be F#.
  • After identifying the leading tone note of the tonicized V chord, you would stack the leading tone note with minor thirds to create the diminished seventh chord, which acts as a dominant substitute to resolve to the V chord. For example, the notes in an F# diminished seventh chord would be F#, A, C, Eb, which resolves to G, B, D, G.
  • Like the secondary dominant chord, the secondary leading tone chord creates a temporary key change for a brief instant. But then, it continues on as usual in the original key like nothing ever happened.
  • Secondary leading tone chords resolve to the V chord in a diatonic scale and to qualifying major or minor chords.
  • Tonicization can only occur with major or minor triads in a diatonic scale.
  • Diminished triads can not be tonicized because that chord is unstable and gives a leading or pulling sound that wants to resolve.
  • Chord seven would not be tonicized in a major key because it is a diminished chord in a diatonic major scale.
  • Chords two and seven would not be tonicized in a minor key because they are diminished in a diatonic minor scale. However, the seventh-degree chord can be tonicized by making it a major triad. Moreover, tonicizing the seventh-degree chord is not a common practice.
  • The triads tonicized in a diatonic major key are chords ii, iii, IV, V, and vi.
  • The triads tonicized in a diatonic minor key are chords III, iv or IV, V or v, VI, and VII.

The photo above shows a secondary leading tone chord in the key of D major. If you look carefully at the secondary leading tone chord, you'll see that the chord is a diminished triad in the first inversion. The photo also shows the bass note of the leading tone chord (B) in red and the root note of the leading tone chord (G#) in blue. (Photo Credit: Hyacinth, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leading-tone_triad_and_secondary_leading-tone_triad_in_Chorale_Gotte_der_Vater,_wohn%27_uns_bei_colored_roots_and_bass.png)


The photo above shows a secondary leading tone resolving to the tonicized V in the key of C major. The secondary leading tone chord in this photo is an F# diminished seventh (F#, A, C, Eb), resolving to the fifth chord (G, B, D, G) in the key of C. (Photo Credit: Puneet Varma, https://alchetron.com/Secondary-leading-tone-chord#secondary-leading-tone-chord-4b2b51c6-b9d3-4145-b0a6-3078a893e5c-resize-750.jpg)


The video above explains what a secondary leading tone is, how they function and how to create them. The presenter used an ingenious way to deliver their lesson. A continuous score ran at the bottom during the presentation, showing the arrangement of the theme music being played in the video. Every time the presenter explained the example, the score would visually show you what was described, and the synchronized audio helped solidify the intent. The instruments used to aid in the production were the piano and drumset. (Video Credit: Orcastra Studio, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCEwU-azSNc)




The video above explains a secondary leading tone chord and illustrates this with handwritten sketches of a series of chords (I, vi, example, I) in C major. In addition, the presenter used three examples of secondary dominant chords inclusive of the (secondary dominant) V6/5 to V, (secondary leading tone) viiø7 to V, and (secondary leading tone) viio7 to V. The piano was the instrument used to demonstrate the examples given in the presentation. (Video Credit: James Ray, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6vz5krgt_4)


The photo above is a set of secondary leading tone chords that I wrote in the keys of C major, E minor, and Bb major.


The video above is me playing the secondary leading tone chords from the picture above the video.



The photo above is the music for the song 'Easy Living.' You can see where I circled the areas where the secondary leading tone chords occur.


The video above is me playing the song 'Easy Living' from the picture above the video.

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