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Melodic Decoration

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Last Updated: 23 October 2014

Created: 16 August 2010

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Grade Six Music Theory - Harmony Lesson 5: Melodic Decoration

A1. Introduction to Harmony

There are several ways that we can make a harmonic line more interesting - liven it up a little - so that it doesn't sound like a boring,
simple progression of chords.

A2. Triads and Chords

The different techniques we can use to do this are, as a group, called "melodic decoration", and can be found in any of the voice
parts; S, A, T or B.

A2. Triads and Chords Exercises

Notes which form part of the melodic decoration are also sometimes known as "non-chord" notes, because they are not part of the
actual chord chosen for the harmony.

A3. Inversions

A3. Inversions Exercises

Look at these bars taken from a Bach Chorale BWV 2.6. The first score shows the "bare bones" harmony - with one chord per beat.
A4. Chord Progressions

A4. Chord Progressions Exercises

A5. Melodic Decoration

A5. Melodic Decoration Exercises

A6. Harmonizing a Melody I

A7. Harmonizing a Melody II

A6 & A7. Harmonising a Melody

Exercises

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A8. Figured Bass an Introduction

Bach added some melodic decoration to this harmonisation, making it a lot more interesting. Can you spot all the differences?

A8. Figured Bass Introduction - Exercises

A9. Figured Bass Rules for Realization

A9. Figured Bass Rules Exercises

A10. Figured Bass Worked Example

A10. Realising a Figured Bass Exercises

A11. Adding a Figured Bassline

A11. Adding a Figured Bass - Exercises

The Rules of Harmony

Each type of melodic decoration has a name. You'll need to learn the names and how to recognise the decorations in a piece of
music. For grade 6, you don't need to actually write any melodic decorations. But, you will see them, both in the harmonisation

B0. Composition - Introduction

questions and in the general knowledge section (questions 4 & 5).

B1. Composition - Architecture

B1. Composition Architecture Exercises

These are the types of melodic decoration or ("non-chord notes") you need to know about for Grade VI Theory:
Passing notes (accented, unaccented, chromatic & harmonic)

B2. Composition - Motifs & Sequences

Auxiliary notes (upper, lower, accented, unaccented, chromatic & harmonic)

Changing notes

B2. Composition Motifs and Melodic

Anticipations

Sequence Exercises

Suspensions
Retardations

B3. Composition - Cadences

Pedals (tonic & dominant)

B3. Composition Cadences Exercises

B4. Composition - Interpolation

1. Passing Notes
A passing note falls in between two different notes a third apart. For example, the notes C and E are a third apart. The D (marked

B4. Composition Interpolation Exercises

B5. Composition - Key and Tonality

*) falls between them, so it is a passing note.

B5. Composition Key and Tonality
Exercises

B6. Composition - Modulation

B6. Composition - Modulation Exercises

B7. Composition - How to Compose

Passing notes can be diatonic or chromatic.
B7. Composition How to Compose
Diatonic passing notes are notes that naturally occur in the key of the piece, like in the previous example. They usually happen

Exercises

when the two chord notes are a third (major or minor) apart.
Chromatic passing notes have an accidental added because they don't occur naturally in the key of the piece. For example, this

C1a. Reading an Orchestral Score

passing note is C# - it falls between the two chord notes C and D.

C1a. Reading an Orchestral Score
Exercises

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C1b. Reading a Chamber Music Score

C1b. Reading a Chamber Music Score

Exercises

C2a. Musical Instruments, Families and

Names
The passing notes above are unaccented, because they fall on an off-beat (between two chords).
Passing notes which fall on the beat are called accented passing notes.

C2a. Musical Instruments, Families and

Names - Exercises

Compare the following with the first example - this time the D is sounded on the beat - at the same time as the second chord. This
time it's an accented passing note. An accented passing note forms a dissonance ("clash") with the rest of the chord, because the

C2b. Transposing, Reed & String

passing note is foreign to the chord.

Instruments

C2b. Musical Instruments,Transposing,

Reed and Strings - Exercises

C3. Musical Terms and Signs

C3. Musical Terms and Signs - Exercises

2. Auxiliary Notes (also called "Neighbour Notes")

An auxiliary note falls between two identical chord notes. It can be higher or lower than the chord note. An auxiliary note which is

C4. Commenting on Music

C4. Commenting on Music - Exercises

higher than the chord note is an "upper auxiliary note" and a "lower auxiliary note" is lower than the chord note.
Auxiliary notes can be either accented or unaccented, just like passing notes. Auxiliary notes which are outside of the current key

C5. Key

are chromatic auxiliary notes.

Here is an unaccented upper auxiliary note:

C5. Keys - Exercises

C6a. Naming Chords

C6b. Chords in a Score

C6. Naming Chords - Exercises

C7a. Ornaments

Auxiliary notes can be either accented or unaccented, just like passing notes.

C7a. Ornaments Exercises

C7b. Melodic Decoration and Pedals

3. Changing Notes (Cambiata & Echappee)

C7b. Melodic Decoration and Pedals

Exercises

There are two types of changing note.

The first type falls between two notes which are often a fourth apart:

C8. Technical Exercises

C8. Technical Exercises - Exercises

C9. Periods and Composers

C9. Periods and Composers Exercises

Practice Test

Look at the soprano line. The notes G-D are a fourth apart, and the changing note, F, falls between them. It's not a passing note,
because passing notes always move by step. This kind of changing note is also called the cambiata.

Next UK theory exams

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The cambiata moves down by step (from G-F), then falls by a third in the same direction (F-D). The next note (E) is then a step

Wednesday 4th March 2015, 5pm

upwards (D-E). This kind of decoration was more common in Renaissance music (1400-1600).
Try to learn it as down 2nd, down 3rd, up 2nd.

The second type of changing note falls outside of the two chord notes:

Look at the soprano line. B and G are chord notes. The C is the changing note. This kind of changing note is also called the
Echappee.
The Echappee moves by step in one direction (B-C) and then by a leap in the opposite direction (C-G), or vice-versa.
Try to learn it as step one way, leap the other. This kind of decoration was more common in Baroque music (1600-1750).

In the exam, both types are normally referred to as simply changing notes, rather than by their specific names.

4. Anticipations
An anticipation happens when we write one chord note earlier than the rest of the chord - in the beat before the rest of the chord
sounds. Here, the B is part of the G major chord. The G major chord is sounded on the 2nd beat, but the B is sounded earlier, on
the half beat before, so it is an anticipation. Anticipations are usually approached by a downwards motion (e.g the C falls to B).

The B is not part of the C major chord, even though it is heard at the same time. For this reason, it is a non-chord note.

5. Suspensions
Suspensions are the opposite of anticipations.
A suspension happens when we write one chord note later than the rest of the chord - during the beat after the rest of the chord
sounds. In this example, the B doesn't sound immediately with the rest of the G major chord - instead, the C from the C major chord
is held on for a little longer, and then falls to the B half a beat after the G major chord has sounded. The C is not part of the G major
chord, so it is a non-chord note. The C is a suspension.

6. Retardations

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Retardations are a type of suspension. In the example of a suspension above, the C resolved downwards to B. In a retardation,
the non-chord note resolves upwards.

Here the A resolves upwards to B.

7. Pedals
A pedal is either the tonic or dominant note played in one part continuously, while the chords in the other voices change.
Pedals normally occur in the bass, (but it is possible to find them in any of the other voices too). The pedal note is either held on
for a long time, or repeated several times.
Here's a tonic pedal:

And here's a dominant pedal:

Pedals which are not in the bass part are called "inverted" pedals.

Let's look again at the Bach extract at the top of this page, and try to work out some of the melodic decorations he used.

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Note
F

http://www.mymusictheory.com/for-students/grade-6/online-course/16...

Type
Unaccented

Reason
F natural is part of the scale of G minor (melodic), so it's diatonic (not chromatic). It falls on the off beat, so it's

1.
natural passing note
2. D

""

unaccented. It falls between two different chord notes, G and E flat*, so it's a passing note.
The passing note D falls between Eb and C, on an off-beat.

Accented passing
3. C

This time the passing note falls on the beat, so it's an accented passing note.
note.
Upper auxiliary

4. D

The D is between the two C sharps, so it's an upper auxiliary note.

note
Unaccented

5. F

It falls off the beat, so it's unaccented. It falls between two different notes a third apart, G and E*, so it's a passing note.
passing note

*Don't forget that the melodic minor version of the scale uses both E and E flat, and F natural and F sharp, because the note series
is different on the way down.

Grade 4 Music Theory Lesson 5: Intervals

Exercises

Grade Six Music Theory General Knowledge,

Lesson C7a. - Ornaments

Grade 6 Music Theory - General Knowledge Lesson

1a: Reading an Orchestral Score - Exercises

A4. Chord Progressions Exercises

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