Non-chord tones
Music theory · Tonal harmony · Level 4 · 14 min
A melody made only of chord tones would be stiff and angular. Non-chord tones (also called non-harmonic tones) are notes that don't belong to the current chord. They create flow, tension and expression. Each has its own way of arriving and leaving.
| Name | Approach | Departure | Beat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing tone | by step | by step, same direction | weak (sometimes strong) |
| Neighbour tone | by step | back to the starting note | weak |
| Appoggiatura | by leap | by step (often down) | strong |
| Suspension | held note (prepared in the previous chord) | by step down | strong |
| Anticipation | by step or leap | repeated in the next chord | weak |
| Escape tone | by step | by leap, opposite direction | weak |
M:4/4
L:1/8
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
K:C
[V:RH] "C"c2 "^passing"d2 e2 "^neighbour"f e | "F"c4- "G""^suspension"c2 B2 | "C""^appoggiatura"d4 c4 | "G7"d4 B2 "^anticipation"c2 | "C"c8 |]
[V:LH] [C,G,]8 | [F,A,]4 [G,,D,]4 | [C,G,]8 | [G,,F,]8 | [C,E,]8 |]
The suspension: the most expressive dissonance
A suspension unfolds in three stages: preparation (the note is consonant in the first chord), suspension (it is held while the chord changes, becoming dissonant), resolution (it falls by step to a chord tone). In the example, the C held over the G chord forms a fourth that resolves to the third, B: a 4-3 suspension. The other classics are 7-6, 9-8 and, in the bass, 2-3.
The appoggiatura: a sigh
Accented and arriving by leap, the appoggiatura “leans” on the dissonance before resolving: the gesture of a sigh, everywhere in Mozart and in Romantic melodies. Play it a little louder than its resolution.
Pedal point
A pedal point is a sustained note — often in the bass, on the tonic or dominant — held while the chords change above it, even when they don't contain it. Bach's C major Prelude ends on a long dominant pedal, then a tonic pedal.