Nonchord tone

A nonchord tone, nonharmonic tone, or non-harmony note is a note in a piece of common practice music which is not in the chord that is formed by the other notes; 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. While such tones are most obvious in homophonic music, they can occur in contrapuntal music as well.

Related Topics:
Note - Common practice - Chord - Homophonic - Contrapuntal music

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A nonchord tone is a dissonance and is 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.

Related Topics:
Dissonance - Resolve - Seventh chord - Extended chord - Equal temperament - Key

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The following list is not exhaustive, but identifies the most common types of nonchord tones.

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