A nonchord tone (NCT), nonharmonic tone, or embellishing tone is a

note Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versio ...

in a piece of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

that is not part of the implied or expressed chord set out by the

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the '' fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...

framework. In contrast, a chord tone is a note that is a part of the functional chord (see:

factor (chord) In music, a factor or chord factor is a member or component of a chord (music), chord. These are named root (chord), root, third (chord), third, fifth (chord), fifth, sixth chord, sixth, seventh (chord), seventh, ninth (compound interval, compo ...

). Non-chord tones are most often discussed in the context of the

common practice period In European art music, the common-practice period is the era of the tonal system. Most of its features persisted from the mid-Baroque period through the Classical and Romantic periods, roughly from 1650 to 1900. There was much stylistic evolutio ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, but they can be used in the analysis of other types of

tonal music Tonality is the arrangement of pitches and/or chords of a musical work in a hierarchy of perceived relations, stabilities, attractions and directionality. In this hierarchy, the single pitch or triadic chord with the greatest stability is cal ...

as well, such as Western

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...

. Nonchord tones are often categorized as ''accented non-chord tones'' and ''unaccented non-chord tones'' depending on whether the dissonance occurs on an accented or unaccented beat (or part of a beat). Over time, some musical styles assimilated chord types outside of the common-practice style. In these chords, tones that might normally be considered nonchord tones are viewed as chord tones, such as the seventh of a

minor seventh chord In music, a minor seventh chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a perfect fifth, and a minor seventh (1, 3, 5, 7). For example, the minor seventh chord built on C, commonly written as C–7, ...

. For example, in 1940s-era bebop jazz, an F played with a C chord would be considered a chord tone if the chord were analyzed as C⁷⁽¹¹⁾. In European classical music, " e greater use of dissonance from period to period as a result of the dialectic of linear/vertical forces led to gradual normalization of ninth,

eleventh In music or music theory, an eleventh is the note eleven scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the eleventh. The interval can be also described as a compound fourth, spanning an octave plus a ...

, and

thirteenth chord In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave p ...

n analysis and theory N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

each additional non-chord tone above the foundational triad became frozen into the chordal mass."

Theory

Chord and nonchord tones are defined by their membership (or lack of membership) in a chord: "The pitches which make up a chord are called ''chord-tones'': any other pitches are called ''non-chord-tones''." They are also defined by the time at which they sound: "''Nonharmonic tones'' are pitches that sound along with a chord but are not chord pitches."Benward & Saker (2003). ''Music: In Theory and Practice'', Vol. I, p. 92. Seventh Edition. . For example, if an excerpt from a piece of music implies or uses a C-major chord, then the notes C, E and G are members of that chord, while any other note played at that time (e.g., notes such as F) is a nonchord tone. Such tones are most obvious in

homophonic In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...

music but occur at least as frequently in contrapuntal music. According to ''Music in Theory and Practice,'' "Most nonharmonic tones are dissonant and create

intervals Interval may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Interval (mathematics), a range of numbers ** Partially ordered set#Intervals, its generalization from numbers to arbitrary partially ordered sets * A statistical level of measurement * Interval est ...

of a second, fourth or seventh", which are required to

resolve Resolve may refer to: * ''Resolve'' (Lagwagon album) * ''Resolve'' (Last Tuesday album) * "Resolve" (song), by the Foo Fighters *'' The Resolve'', a 1915 American silent short drama film * "Resolve" (''One Tree Hill'' episode) *''Resolve'', a Brit ...

to a chord tone in conventional ways. If the note fails to resolve until the next change of harmony, it may instead create a

seventh chord A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a minor ...

extended chord In music, extended chords are certain chords (built from thirds) or triads with notes ''extended'', or added, beyond the seventh. Ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords are extended chords. The thirteenth is the farthest extension diatonica ...

. While theoretically in a three-note chord, there are nine possible nonchord tones in

equal temperament An equal temperament is a musical temperament or tuning system, which approximates just intervals by dividing an octave (or other interval) into equal steps. This means the ratio of the frequencies of any adjacent pair of notes is the same, wh ...

, in practice nonchord tones are usually in the prevailing key. Augmented and diminished intervals are also considered dissonant, and all nonharmonic tones are measured from the

bass note In music theory, the bass note of a chord or sonority is the lowest note played or notated. If there are multiple voices it is the note played or notated in the lowest voice (the note furthest in the bass.) Three situations are possible: # ...

, or lowest note sounding in the chord except in the case of nonharmonic bass tones. Nonharmonic tones generally occur in a pattern of three pitches, of which the nonharmonic tone is the center: : Nonchord tones are categorized by how they are used. The most important distinction is whether they occur on a strong or weak beat and are thus either accented or unaccented nonchord tones. They are also distinguished by their direction of approach and departure and the voice or voices in which they occur and the number of notes they contain.

Unaccented

Anticipation

An ''anticipation'' (ANT) occurs when this note is approached by step and then remains the same. It is basically a note of the second chord played early. In the example below, the dissonant B in bar 1 is approached by step and resolves when that same pitch becomes a chord tone in bar 2. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c >> >> A ''

portamento In music, portamento (plural: ''portamenti'', from old it, portamento, meaning "carriage" or "carrying") is a pitch sliding from one note to another. The term originated from the Italian expression "''portamento della voce''" ("carriage of the ...

'' is the late Renaissance precursor to the

anticipation Anticipation is an emotion involving pleasure or anxiety in considering or awaiting an expected event. Anticipatory emotions include fear, anxiety, hope and trust. When the anticipated event fails to occur, it results in disappointment (if posi ...

, though today it refers to a

glissando In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a glide from one pitch to another (). It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In some contexts, it is distinguished from the ...

. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \relative c'' >> \new Staff << \relative c'' >> >>

Neighbor tone

A ''neighbor tone'' (NT) or ''auxiliary note'' (AUX) is a nonchord tone that passes stepwise from a chord tone directly above or below it (which frequently causes the NT to create dissonance with the chord) and resolves to the same chord tone: : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \relative c >> >> In practice and analysis, neighboring tones are sometimes differentiated depending upon whether or not they are lower or higher than the chord tones surrounding them. A neighboring tone that is a step higher than the surrounding chord tones is called an ''upper neighboring tone'' or an ''upper auxiliary note'' while a neighboring tone that is a step lower than the surrounding chord tones is a ''lower neighboring tone'' or ''lower auxiliary note''. However, following

Heinrich Schenker Heinrich Schenker (19 June 1868 – 14 January 1935) was a Galician-born Austrian music theorist whose writings have had a profound influence on subsequent musical analysis. His approach, now termed Schenkerian analysis, was most fully expl ...

's usage in ''

Free Composition ''Free Composition'' (''Der freie Satz'') is a treatise by Heinrich Schenker, and possibly Schenker's best known work. The third volume of ''New Musical Theories and Fantasies'' (preceded by ''Harmony'' and ''Counterpoint''), it was first publis ...

'', some authors reserve the term "neighbor note" to the lower neighbor a

half step A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent n ...

below the main note. The German term ''Nebennote'' is a somewhat broader category, including all nonchord tones approached from the main note by step.

Escape tone

An ''escape tone'' (ET) or ''echappée'' is a particular type of unaccented incomplete neighbor tone that is approached stepwise from a chord tone and resolved by a skip in the opposite direction back to the harmony. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c >> >>

Passing tone

A ''passing tone'' (PT) or ''passing note'' is a nonchord tone prepared by a chord tone a step above or below it and resolved by continuing in the same direction stepwise to the next chord tone (which is either part of the same chord or of the next chord in the harmonic progression). : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \relative c >> >> Where two nonchord tones are before the resolution they are ''double passing tones'' or ''double passing notes''.

Accented non-chord tones

Passing tone

A tone that sits between two chord tones and is between them. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \relative c >> >>

Neighbor tone

A neighbour tone is where you step up or down from a note (or chord tone) and then move back to the original note. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \relative c >> >>

Suspension and retardation

A ''suspension'' (SUS) (sometimes referred to as a ''syncope''Jonas (1982), p. 96.) occurs when the harmony shifts from one chord to another, but one or more notes of the first chord (the preparation) are either temporarily held over into or are played again against the second chord (against which they are nonchord tones called the ''suspension'') before resolving downwards to a chord tone by step (the resolution). The whole process is called a ''suspension'' as well as the specific nonchord tone(s). Suspensions may be further described with two numbers: (1) the interval between the suspended note and the

and (2) the interval between the resolution and the bass note. The most common suspensions are 4–3 suspension, 7–6 suspension, or 9–8 suspension. Note that except for the 9–8 suspensions, the numbers are typically referred to using the

simple interval In music theory, an interval is a difference in pitch between two sounds. An interval may be described as horizontal, linear, or melodic if it refers to successively sounding tones, such as two adjacent pitches in a melody, and vertical or ha ...

s, so for instance, if the intervals are actually an 11th and a 10th (the first example below), you would typically call it a ''4–3 suspension''. If the bass note is suspended, then the interval is calculated between the bass and the part that is most dissonant with it, often resulting in a 2–3 suspension. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' \new Voice \relative c >> >> Suspensions must resolve downwards. If a tied note is prepared like a suspension but resolves upwards, it is called a ''retardation''. Common retardations include 2–3 and 7–8 retardations. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c >> >> Decorated suspensions are common and consist of portamentos or double eighth notes, the second being a lower neighbor tone. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' \new Voice \relative c >> >> A chain of suspensions constitutes the fourth species of

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

; an example may be found in the second movement of Arcangelo Corelli's ''Christmas Concerto''. :

Appoggiatura

An '' appoggiatura'' (APP) is a type of accented incomplete neighbor tone approached skip-wise from one chord tone and resolved stepwise to another chord tone ("overshooting" the chord tone). : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' \new Voice \relative c >> >>

Nonharmonic bass

''Nonharmonic bass'' notes are bass notes that are not a member of the chord below which they are written. Examples include the

Elektra chord The ''Elektra'' chord is a "complexly dissonant signature- chord"Lawrence Kramer. "Fin-de-siècle Fantasies: ''Elektra'', Degeneration and Sexual Science", ''Cambridge Opera Journal'', Vol. 5, No. 2. (Jul., 1993), pp. 141-165. and motivic elabo ...

. An example of a nonharmonic bass from the third movement of

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

's ''

Symphony of Psalms The ''Symphony of Psalms'' is a choral symphony in three movements composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1930 during his neoclassical period. The work was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orch ...

''. Andriessen, Louis & Schönberger, Elmer (2006). ''The Apollonian Clockwork: On Stravinsky''. Amsterdam University Press. . :

Involving more than three notes

Changing tones

'' Changing tones'' (CT) are two successive nonharmonic tones. A chord tone steps to a nonchord tone which skips to another nonchord tone which leads by step to a chord tone, often the same chord tone. They may imply neighboring tones with a missing or implied note in the middle. Also called ''double neighboring tones'' or ''neighbor group''. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' \new Voice \relative c'' >> \new Staff << \relative c >> >>

Pedal point

Another form of nonchord tone is a ''

pedal point In music, a pedal point (also pedal note, organ point, pedal tone, or pedal) is a sustained tone, typically in the bass, during which at least one foreign (i.e. dissonant) harmony is sounded in the other parts. A pedal point sometimes functio ...

'' or ''pedal tone'' (PD) or ''note'', almost always the tonic or dominant, which is held through a series of chord changes. The pedal point is almost always in the lowest voice (the term originates from organ playing), but it may be in an upper voice; then it may be called an ''inverted pedal''. It may also be between the upper and lower voices, in which case it is called an ''internal pedal''. : \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' >> \new Staff << \relative c >> >>

Chromatic nonharmonic tone

A ''chromatic nonharmonic tone'' is a nonharmonic tone that is chromatic, or outside of the key and creates

half-step A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent n ...

motion. The use of which, especially ''chromatic appoggiaturas'' and ''chromatic passing tones'', increased in the

Romantic Period Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

. The example below shows chromatic nonharmonic tones (in red) in the first four measures of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading ...

's Prelude No. 21, op. 28. :

References

Sources *

External links

* {{Consonance and dissonance Musical terminology

Theory

Unaccented

Anticipation

Neighbor tone

Escape tone

Passing tone

Accented non-chord tones

Passing tone

Neighbor tone

Suspension and retardation

Appoggiatura

Nonharmonic bass

Involving more than three notes

Changing tones

Pedal point

Chromatic nonharmonic tone

See also

References

External links