Music Theory: Non-Chord Tones, Melodic Analysis, Form, and Accompaniment

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering non-chord tones, melodic analysis techniques, musical form, and accompanimental structures.

Non-Chord Tones

Notes that do not belong to the chord, also referred to as embellishing tones or non-harmonic tones, classified by how they are approached and left.

Passing Tone

A non-chord tone approached by step and left by step in the same direction.

Neighbor Tone

A non-chord tone approached by step and left by step in the opposite direction.

Appoggiatura

A non-chord tone approached by leap and left by step, usually occurring on an accented beat.

Escape Tone

A non-chord tone approached by step and left by leap in the opposite direction.

Double Neighbor

A non-chord tone figure where both the upper and lower neighbors occur before returning to the starting chord tone.

Anticipation

A non-chord tone approached by step and left by the same note, anticipating the arrival of the next chord.

Pedal Point

A note held through changing harmonies, beginning as a consonant chord tone before becoming a non-chord tone, typically in the bass.

Suspension

An accented non-chord tone on a downbeat approached by the same note and resolving down by step, consisting of a preparation, suspension, and resolution.

Retardation

An accented non-chord tone on a downbeat approached by the same note that resolves up by step.

Accented Non-Chord Tone

A non-chord tone that occurs directly on the beat.

Unaccented Non-Chord Tone

A non-chord tone that occurs on the weak part of the beat (offbeat).

Motive

The smallest identifiable melodic idea in a musical composition.

Fragment

A smaller division or sub-unit extracted from a compound motive, sometimes referred to as a germ.

Phrase

The smallest category of section in musical form that gives the sense of completing a formal unit, usually ending with a cadence.

Subphrase

A melodic unit smaller than a phrase but larger than a motive, typically two measures long.

Augmentation

A melodic alteration involving the exact doubling of the duration of every rhythmic value (or the use of longer rhythmic values) in a motive or phrase.

Diminution

A melodic alteration involving the exact halving of the duration of every rhythmic value (or the use of shorter rhythmic values) in a motive or phrase.

Melodic Inversion

A melodic alteration where an idea is turned upside-down or mirrored across a horizontal plane.

Retrograde

A melodic alteration consisting of an exact reversing of the order of notes in a motive or phrase.

Perfect Authentic Cadence

A $V - I$ cadence where both chords are in root position and the tonic scale degree ($\hat{1}$) is in the highest voice of the tonic chord.

Imperfect Authentic Cadence

An authentic cadence ($V - I$ or $vii^\circ - I$) that fails to meet one or more requirements of a Perfect Authentic Cadence.

Sentence

A phrase with a specific melodic construction where a melodic idea is repeated or sequenced and followed by related or unrelated material leading to a cadence.

Period

A combination of at least two phrases where the final phrase ends in a more conclusive cadence than the first phrase.

Antecedent

The phrase within a period that ends with a less conclusive cadence.

Consequent

The phrase within a period that ends with a more conclusive cadence.

Parallel Period

A period in which the melodies of both the antecedent and consequent phrases begin similarly.

Contrasting Period

A period in which the antecedent and consequent phrases begin with different melodic material.

Double Period

A section consisting of at least four phrases comprised of an antecedent group and a consequent group, ending with a cadence that answers the less conclusive cadence of the antecedent group.

Phrase Group

A combination of at least two phrases whose melodies begin similarly and end with a half cadence.

Phrase Chain

A combination of at least two phrases with contrasting melodies that ends in a half cadence.

Elision

A structural joining device in which the final bar of one phrase is simultaneously the first bar of the next phrase.

Harmonically Closed Section

A formal section in music that ends on the tonic chord ($I$).

Harmonically Open Section

A formal section in music that ends on a non-tonic chord, such as $V$ or $IV$.

Verse-Chorus Form

A popular music structure where the verse contains variable story elements and the chorus contains the primary hook or refrain.

AABA Form

A popular music structure typically consisting of two 8-bar A sections, an 8-bar contrasting B section (bridge or middle eight), and a final 8-bar A section.

Figured Bass

A Baroque shorthand notation system consisting of a bass line staff accompanied by numbers below to represent intervals to be played above the bass note.

3–2 Son Clave

An essential Afro-Cuban rhythmic pattern consisting of three attacks in the first measure and two attacks in the second measure.