Based on the MINOR key signature, what is the harmonic function of the given note?

[ Select ]
tonic
supertonic
mediant
subdominant
dominant
submediant
subtonic
leading-tone

Question

Based on the MINOR key signature, what is the harmonic function of the given note?

[ Select ]
tonic
supertonic
mediant
subdominant
dominant
submediant
subtonic
leading-tone

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement and options:
- Question: Based on the MINOR key signature, what is the harmonic function of the given note?
- Options: tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, subtonic, leading-tone

Analysis of each option:
- Tonic: The tonic is the home pitch of the key. While the given note could be part of a minor scale, the question asks for the harmonic function of a specific note in a minor key, not the overall tonal center. This option would be correct if the note were the scale’s first degree, but not necessarily for this raised-lead tone.
- Supertonic: The supertonic is the second scale degree. This function involves moving to the dominant or other chords, but does not describe the raised seventh that resolves to the tonic in minor contexts.
- Mediant: The mediant is the third scale degree. It serves as a different color degree, not the leading function that resolves upward to the tonic.
- Subdominant: The subdominant is the fourth degree. It typically leads to the dominant area, not to the tonic directly, and does not capture the special raised seventh behavior.
- Dominant: The dominant is the fifth degree. It governs a strong progression toward the tonic, but the specific note in question, in a minor key with a raised seventh, is more characteristic of leading tone than the dominant itself.
- Submediant: The submediant is the sixth degree. It does not describe the raised 7th degree or its leading-function toward the tonic.
- Subtonic: The subtonic is the lowered seventh degree (natural minor). In natural minor, the seventh is flat, not raised, so this function does not fit the described raised-leading-tone behavior.
- Leading-tone: The leading-tone is the raised seventh degree in harmonic (and melodic) minor. It creates a strong tendency to resolve up to the tonic, which matches the behavior of a note with leading-function in minor contexts.

Why the correct option is leading-tone: In minor keys, the harmonic minor form raises the seventh scale degree to create a leading-tone that strongly resolves to the tonic. This is the classic harmonic function used to propel the cadence back to the tonic, distinguishing it from the natural seventh (subtonic) in natural minor. Therefore, the given note’s harmonic function is leading-tone, and the other options fail to capture this raised seventh and its resolving tendency.

Based on the MINOR key signature, what is the harmonic function of the given note? [ Select ] tonic supertonic mediant subdominant dominant submediant subtonic leading-tone

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