Non-chord Tone
A note that is not part of the current chord and usually resolves by step
Related
A non-chord tone is a note that sounds against a chord without belonging to it. It creates brief tension and normally resolves by step. The main kinds are passing tones, neighbors, appoggiaturas, suspensions, anticipations and escape tones.
To analyse one, ask: is it on a strong or weak beat, is it approached by step or leap, and is it held over? Suspensions and retardations are the held kind: the note stays while the harmony changes, turns dissonant, then resolves down or up.
The common mistake is to treat every dissonance as a non-chord tone. Sevenths and ninths are chord members in many styles, and a note that looks foreign on the surface may belong to the structural harmony beneath. Fix the chord first, then label the tone.
Sources
- 定义与分类参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Non-chord note"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.