Can one alter a lower leading tone?

Question

I know all about raising the 7th to meet the tonic (e.g. --> B to C in the key of C major).

I just learned about lower leading tones, and a member of my bass section INSISTS that a lower leading tone "needs to be sung different", or "like a leading tone". Um, HOW does one alter this note? By making it higher? Lower? 

The rules for altering an upper leading tone are clear and were very well covered at my university music program. You make it higher, so it "leads" into the tonic. I would appreciate it if someone could clarify this nuance for me :)

Alex

? · Accepted Answer

A leading note is *by definition* any note that resolves to a note **one semitone** higher or lower.

For instance, lower leading note in C major would be B leading to C and upper leading note would be Db resolving down to C.

I suspect your friend is probably confusing ''subtonic'' (7th scale degree of diatonic scales, *one whole tone** below the tonic, e.g. Bb to C as tonic in C mixolydian - C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C - or C natural minor - C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C) with a leading tone proper which is also found on that 7th scale degree of diatonic scales, when the distance between it and the tonic is ALWAYS a single semitone!

Best,

Raymond

EDIT: Were you to ''sing a leading tone differently'', it just wouldn't be a leading tone anymore *within the original key*...

''Writing that leading tone differently'' is quite another matter.

For example, B to C in C major (you *don't* actually raise that 7th degree in major scales, only for harmonic minor and ascending melodic minor scales) is the lower leading note in that key. ''B'' is the enharmonic equivalent to ''Cb'' - that ''Cb'' could then be used as the **upper leading note** in context of Bb major or minor (Cb resolving down to Bb).

So you basically have that *lower leading note* ''B'' in context of C major (or minor) commuted to the *upper leading note* ''Cb'' in context of Bb major or minor. And you would be singing the exact same *pitch* for both notes... :-)

EDIT 2: Upper leading notes ***always*** get altered in context of major-minor tonality (inherited from Aeolian & Ionian modes). That second degree wouldn't be altered though in context of Phrygian Dominant scale ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygian_dominant_scale ) or Locrian mode ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locrian_mode ), for instance.

Hope that clarifies the issue.

petr b · Answer

There are NO RULES, only a body of generalities about what composers have made which many agree upon as 'having worked.'

Work it differently, and find an audience that is in general agreement that it works (other musicians are your first and best bet as your 'audience' to check in with), and there is 'no problem.'

The trick is, in context, making it sound like it works, of course :-)

Best regards.

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Can one alter a lower leading tone?

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