The Color and Leading Tones

The middle note of a root position triad is referred to as the “color” tone. It has the ability to lower one half-step to create a darker minor quality (minor triad) or to raise one half-step from the darker quality to a brighter feel, (major triad). To make a major chord a minor chord, lower the color tone. To make it major again, raise it.

The “color” tone of the dominant root position chord is also the “leading” tone. It leads back to the tonic note by raising one half-step. An example is the B note in a dominant chord of G B D. In the C scale, (CDEFGABC) the B note “leads” back to the tonic note that is an octave above the starting note.

The color tone for an F chord is the note A. To make an F major chord into an F Minor chord, simply Flat (lower by one half-step) the color tone. Major: F A C. Minor: F Ab C. The leading tone in the key of F is an E note. F scale: FGABbCDEF. The note E is also the color tone of the dominant root position triad in the key of F. (The C chord is C E G).

It is because of the strong tension in the leading tone to want to resolve to the tonic that the dominant chord is the 5 chord and almost always resolves to the tonic chord in bluegrass.

Minor chords in their root position:
Fm: F Ab C
Gm: G Bb D
Am: A C E
Bm: B D F#
Cm: C Eb G
Dm: D F A
Em: E G B
Bbm: Bb Db F
Ebm: Eb Gb Bb

Write an Abm root position triad:_______ Now a Dbm:________ F#m:________