Ornamentations

Acciaccaturas

• Acciaccaturas are “crushed” notes

• They have no rhythmic value and are usually played on the same beat as the harmony note or just fractionally before it. They have a line across their stem

• They occur frequently in jazz piano.

Appoggiaturas

• Appoggiaturas have a rhythmic value

• They serve a more important harmonic and melodic function than acciaccaturas. They are notated without a line across their stem.

• They usually take half the time value of the harmony note that they precede if the meter is duple (2/4, 4/4)

• They take 2/3 of the harmony note’s value if the meter is triple.

Passing notes

• Passing notes connect two harmony notes, usually a third part

Auxiliary notes

• These follow a harmony note by step but then return to the same note.

Echappée note

• These notes try to “escape” from the harmony. They move away from the first harmony note in the opposite direction to the next harmony note

Anticipations

• They simply precede the harmonic change in the chord to which they belong.