Questions: Minor Tonality and Voice-Leading Choices

Question 1

In a four-part harmonization in A minor, you are writing the V chord. The soprano holds the third of the chord. Which note must the soprano sing?

• A. G♮ — natural minor uses an unraised seventh throughout
• B. F♯ — the melodic minor raises scale degree 6, which is needed here
• C. G♯ — the third of E major (the V chord) requires the raised leading tone
• D. Either G♮ or G♯ is acceptable depending on the desired color

Answer: (C)

The dominant chord in minor must be a major triad (E major in A minor) to function properly — this requires the raised seventh, G♯. Without it, the V chord becomes E minor, which lacks the leading-tone half-step pull toward the tonic A. This is not a stylistic option; it is a structural requirement. A V chord with a minor third (G♮) loses its cadential force dramatically. Scale degree 7 must be raised whenever it forms part of a dominant harmony or ascends to the tonic by half-step.

Question 2

In A minor, a soprano voice is moving stepwise upward from E through F, G, to A (scale degrees 5–6–7–8). Which notes should be used for scale degrees 6 and 7?

• A. F♮ and G♮ (natural minor — both unraised)
• B. F♯ and G♯ (melodic minor ascending — both raised)
• C. F♮ and G♯ (harmonic minor — only 7 raised)
• D. F♯ and G♮ (only 6 raised, no special reason)

Answer: (B)

When a voice ascends stepwise through scale degrees 6–7–8, melodic minor is used: both 6 and 7 are raised. The reason is the augmented second — harmonic minor (F♮–G♯) creates an awkward F♮ to G♯ leap of an augmented second (three semitones), which is difficult to sing and sounds angular. Raising both to F♯–G♯ creates a smooth, all-whole-step-or-half-step ascent. Descending, the alterations are dropped (natural minor), giving the line a darker, flatter character.

Question 3

In minor-key four-part harmony, different voices may simultaneously use different forms of the minor scale depending on their function in the current chord.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

This is one of the defining features of minor tonality in tonal harmony. The bass may use natural minor (natural 6 and 7) while the soprano simultaneously uses the raised 7 for a leading tone. A tenor forming the third of a V chord must have G♯ in A minor, while the alto on a passing tone may use F♮. The scale selection is voice-by-voice and moment-by-moment, driven by each voice's melodic direction and harmonic function — not by a single consistent scale choice for the whole texture.

Question 4

In minor-key voice leading, when a voice descends through scale degrees 8–7–6–5, it should use the raised 7th and 6th (melodic minor descending).

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

The asymmetry is the key point: melodic minor uses raised 6 and 7 only when ascending (to avoid the augmented second in the upward approach to the tonic). When descending through the same territory, the natural minor is used — unraised 6 and 7. The descending line in A minor would use G♮ and F♮. This gives the descending line a characteristic darker, flatter sound that suits falling motion. Using raised alterations descending is not wrong in all styles, but it is not the standard tonal pattern.

Question 5

Why is the raised 7th (leading tone) structurally necessary in the dominant chord in a minor key, rather than merely a stylistic choice?

Model answer: The dominant chord's function in tonal harmony is to create strong pull toward the tonic — this pull depends critically on the leading tone, the raised 7th, which is only a half-step below the tonic. In A minor, G♯ is a half-step below A; G♮ is a whole-step below A. A whole-step creates weak pull; a half-step creates the strong voice-leading tension that drives harmonic motion. Without the raised 7th, the V chord becomes a minor triad (E minor instead of E major), losing its leading-tone function entirely. The V–I cadential motion requires this half-step resolution, so the raised 7th is not optional coloring — it is the mechanism that makes dominant harmony function.

This is the structural reason the harmonic minor scale exists at all: the natural minor scale lacks a leading tone, which weakens cadences. The harmonic minor was developed precisely to fix this by providing a raised 7th. Understanding this explains why the scale is called 'harmonic' minor — it was created to serve harmonic (functional) needs, not melodic ones. Melodic minor then fixes the awkward augmented second that the raised 7th creates when moving stepwise.