Nonchord tone
Encyclopedia
A nonchord tone, nonharmonic tone, or non-harmony note is a note in a piece of music
which is not a part of the implied harmony
that is described by the other notes sounding at the time. Nonchord tones are most often discussed in the context of music of the common practice period, but can be used in analysis of other types of tonal music
as well.
Chord and nonchord tones are defined by their 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."
For example, if a piece of music is currently on a C Major chord, the notes CEG are members of that chord, while any other note played at that time is a nonchord tone. Such tones are most obvious in homophonic
music but also often occur in contrapuntal music
.
"Most nonharmonic tones are dissonant
and create intervals of a second
, fourth
or seventh
", which are required to resolve
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
or extended chord
. While it is theoretically possible that for a three-note chord there are (in equal temperament
) nine possible nonchord tones, 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, 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:
1 - 2 - 3
Preceding tone - Nonharmonic tone - Following tone
(chord tone) - - (chord tone)
Preparation - Dissonance - Resolution
Nonchord tones are distinguished through how they are used. The most important distinction is whether they occur on a strong or weak beat
and are thus accented or unaccented. 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.
Over time some nonchord tones supposedly became chord tones, such as the seventh in a seventh chord
. In European classical music "The 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, and thirteenth chords[in analysis and theory]; each additional non-chord tone above the foundational triad became frozen into the chordal mass."
The following list is not exhaustive, but identifies the most common types of nonchord tones. The abbreviation
s found following the names are sometimes used to analyze
nonchord tones in scores.
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.
Suspensions may be further described using the number of the interval
forming the suspension and its resolution; e.g. 4-3 suspension, 7-6 suspension, or 9-8 suspension. Suspensions resolve downwards; otherwise it is a retardation. A suspension must be prepared with the same note (in the same voice) using a chord tone in the preceding chord; otherwise it is an appoggiatura.
Decorated suspensions are common and consist of portamentos or double eighth notes, the second being a lower neighbor tone.
A suspended chord
is an added tone chord
with a "suspended" fourth or second as an added tone which doesn't resolve.
A chain of suspensions constitutes the fourth species of counterpoint
; an example may be found in the second movement of Arcangelo Corelli's "Christmas Concerto".
Examples include the Elektra chord
.
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.
, or outside of the key
and creates half-step
motion. The use of which, especially chromatic appoggiaturas and chromatic passing tones, increased in the Romantic Period
.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
which is not a part of the implied harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
that is described by the other notes sounding at the time. Nonchord tones are most often discussed in the context of music of the common practice period, but can be used in analysis of other types of tonal music
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
as well.
Chord and nonchord tones are defined by their 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."
For example, if a piece of music is currently on a C Major chord, the notes CEG are members of that chord, while any other note played at that time is a nonchord tone. Such tones are most obvious in homophonic
Homophony
In music, homophony is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords. This is distinct from polyphony, in which parts move with rhythmic independence, and monophony, in which all parts move in parallel rhythm and pitch. A homophonic...
music but also often occur in contrapuntal music
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
.
"Most nonharmonic tones are dissonant
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
and create intervals of a second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
, fourth
Fourth
Fourth can refer to:* ¼, one quarter* Fourth, the ordinal number following third* Preceded by the, refers to the United States holiday of Independence Day, celebrated on the fourth of July.-Music:* Perfect fourth in music theory...
or seventh
Seventh
Seventh may refer to:* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution-Music:* Diminished seventh, a chromatically reduced minor seventh interval...
", which are required to resolve
Resolution (music)
Resolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance to a consonance .Dissonance, resolution, and suspense can be used to create musical interest...
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
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 major triad with an added minor seventh...
or extended chord
Extended chord
In music, extended chords are tertian chords or triads with notes extended, or added, beyond the seventh. Ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords are extended chords...
. While it is theoretically possible that for a three-note chord there are (in equal temperament
Equal temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...
) nine possible nonchord tones, nonchord tones are usually in the prevailing key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
. Augmented and diminished intervals are also considered dissonant, and all nonharmonic tones are measured from the bass, 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:
1 - 2 - 3
Preceding tone - Nonharmonic tone - Following tone
(chord tone) - - (chord tone)
Preparation - Dissonance - Resolution
Nonchord tones are distinguished through how they are used. The most important distinction is whether they occur on a strong or weak beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
and are thus accented or unaccented. 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.
Over time some nonchord tones supposedly became chord tones, such as the seventh in a seventh chord
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 major triad with an added minor seventh...
. In European classical music "The 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, and thirteenth chords[in analysis and theory]; each additional non-chord tone above the foundational triad became frozen into the chordal mass."
The following list is not exhaustive, but identifies the most common types of nonchord tones. The abbreviation
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
s found following the names are sometimes used to analyze
Musical analysis
Musical analysis is the attempt to answer the question how does this music work?. The method employed to answer this question, and indeed exactly what is meant by the question, differs from analyst to analyst, and according to the purpose of the analysis. According to Ian Bent , analysis is "an...
nonchord tones in scores.
Anticipation
- An anticipation (ANT) occurs when a note is played before the chord to which the note belongs and resolves when the "anticipated" chord is reached:
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:
Incomplete Neighbor tone
- An incomplete neighbor tone (IN) is a neighbor tone that has only one stepwise connection with a consonant chord tone (instead of the normal two), the other connection being a skip. Thus, instead of leaving a chord tone with a step up or down and returning to the same chord tone in like manner, one of the chord tones is left out (or skipped over) so the neighbor tone is only connected to one of the chord tones making it incomplete.
- IN's are generally written either:
- With a skip away from a harmony tone to a non-chord tone, and resolved with a step back to a harmony tone (usually in the opposite direction from the approach).
- or
- With a step away from a harmony tone to a non-chord tone, and resolved with a skip back to a harmony tone (also usually in the opposite direction from the approach).
Escape tone
- An escape tone (ET) or echappée is a particular type of unaccented incomplete neighbor tone which is approached stepwise from a chord tone and resolved by a skip in the opposite direction back to the harmony:
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). Where there are two non-chord notes before the resolution we have double passing tones or double passing notes.
Suspension
- A suspension (SUS) 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 to a chord tone stepwise (the "Resolution"). Note that the whole process is called a suspension as well as the specific non-chord tone(s):
Suspensions may be further described using the number of the interval
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
forming the suspension and its resolution; e.g. 4-3 suspension, 7-6 suspension, or 9-8 suspension. Suspensions resolve downwards; otherwise it is a retardation. A suspension must be prepared with the same note (in the same voice) using a chord tone in the preceding chord; otherwise it is an appoggiatura.
Decorated suspensions are common and consist of portamentos or double eighth notes, the second being a lower neighbor tone.
A suspended chord
Suspended chord
A suspended chord is a chord in which the third is omitted, replaced usually with either a perfect fourth or a major second , although the fourth is far more common...
is an added tone chord
Added tone chord
An added tone chord is a non-tertian chord composed of a tertian triad and an extra "added" note. The added note is not a seventh , but typically a non-tertian note, which cannot be defined by a sequence of thirds from the root, such as the added sixth or fourth...
with a "suspended" fourth or second as an added tone which doesn't resolve.
A chain of suspensions constitutes the fourth species of counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
; an example may be found in the second movement of Arcangelo Corelli's "Christmas Concerto".
Retardation
- A retardation (RE) is similar to a suspension except that it resolves upward instead of downward.
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.
Portamento
- A portamentoPortamentoPortamento is a musical term originated from the Italian expression "portamento della voce" , denoting from the beginning of the 17th century a vocal slide between two pitches and its emulation by members of the violin family and certain wind instruments, and is sometimes used...
is the late Renaissance precursor to the anticipation, though today it refers to a glissandoGlissandoIn music, a glissando 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 continuous portamento...
.
Nonharmonic bass
- Nonharmonic bass notes are bass notes which are not a member of the chord below which they are written.
Elektra chord
The Elektra chord is a "complexly dissonant signature-chord" and motivic elaboration used by composer Richard Strauss to represent the title character of his opera Elektra that is a "bitonal synthesis of E major and C-sharp major" and may be regarded as a polychord related to conventional chords...
.
Nota cambiata
- A nota cambiata is a four note melodic figure and the forerunner of the 18th-century's changing tones. The first and fourth notes are always consonant, while the second and third may or may not be, and the second note is the nota cambiata ("changed note") itself.
Changing tones
- Changing tonesChanging tonesIn music, changing tones consists of two consecutive non-chord tones. The first moves in one direction by a step from a chord tone, then skips by a third in the opposite direction to another non-chord tone, and then finally resolves back to the original chord tone...
(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.
Pedal point
Another form of nonchord tone is a pedal pointPedal point
In tonal music, a pedal point 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 functions as a "non-chord tone", placing it in the categories alongside suspensions, retardations, and passing...
or pedal tone (PD) or note, almost always the tonic
Tonic (music)
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...
or dominant
Dominant (music)
In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called "dominant" because it is next in importance to the tonic,and a dominant chord is any chord built upon that pitch, using the notes of the same diatonic scale...
, which is held through a series of chord changes. The pedal point is almost always in the lowest voice (the term originates from organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
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.
Chromatic nonharmonic tone
A chromatic nonharmonic tone is a nonharmonic tone that is chromaticDiatonic and chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony...
, or outside of the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
and creates half-step
Semitone
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....
motion. The use of which, especially chromatic appoggiaturas and chromatic passing tones, increased in the Romantic Period
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
.
See also
- OrnamentOrnament (music)In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
- Chord factorFactor (chord)In music, a factor or chord factor is a member or component of a chord. These are named root, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, and so on, for their generic interval above the root....
- Non-harmonic arpeggio