MUSC1600 Musicianship 1

Semester 2 2023

Harmony & Keyboard

Weeks 11–12

Topics:
Non-chord tones in four-part writing and keyboard format.
• Passing Notes
• Neighbour Notes
• Notes of Anticipation
• Pedal Points

Non-chord tones
Very few pieces of music rely solely on block chord progressions to maintain the musical interest. In fact,
much of the beauty and inventiveness of a composition lies in how composers embellish melodic lines or
chord successions.
Some textbooks refer to such notes (or tones) as embellishing tones, while others refer to them as non-chord
tones. Common non-chord tones are passing and neighbour notes, which can be accented or unaccented. These
notes can occur singly or in pairs. We will focus on passing notes and neighbour notes in this course.
[Comment: other kinds of non-chord tones will be introduced in later musicianship courses; for instance,
suspension patterns.]

Passing Notes (PNs) occur between two chord tones a third apart. In other words, a passing note fills in the
gap of a third between two chord tones.
Put another way, a chord tone moves by step to a PN which then moves by step in the same direction up or
down to the next chord tone.

In the following examples, we have chords of I and I6 in G major:

• Notice in the second version how each PN is on the weak quaver part of the beat. The first quaver is
taken by the harmony note (which was a full crotchet in the original version).
• Passing Notes (PNs) can occur singly or in pairs.
• Pairs of PNs can be in similar or contrary motion to each other and they can be in any two voices in
the SATB texture.
o Remember that the two notes in a pair of PNs must form a consonant interval.
o PNs in similar motion should not form parallel 5ths or 8ves.
• We can have one or two passing notes at a time, but never three or more PNs at the same time because
we would then have a new chord instead.

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More Examples (notice the chromatic PN in the last example):

Now practice these progressions at the keyboard. Notice that figured bass symbols are added here for the
first inversion chords.

In this course, Passing Notes will be the most frequently used non-chord tones.

Neighbour Notes (NNs) involve movement by a step up or down from the chord note and returning to the
same note. In other words, a chord tone moves by step to a neighbour note which then moves back to the same
chord tone. Neighbour notes (or tones) are sometimes called auxiliary notes.
The neighbour note can be accented or unaccented and diatonic or chromatic. The most common are
unaccented diatonic neighbour notes. Pairs of neighbour notes are also possible.

Notice in the last bar how the harmony changes from the first chord to the second chord.

Practice the following versions at the keyboard:

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Task: Study the first two examples, then write NNs for the third and fourth of the following examples.

Task:
Compare the following examples and identify all passing notes (PNs) and neighbour notes (NNs) in the second
version.
• Write the Roman numeral chord indications under both versions.
• You do not need to make any changes to the Roman numeral chord indications in the second version.
This is because PNs and NNs do not change the actual chords that are present in the music – they are
decorations of the harmony (and that is why they are called non-chord tones).

Remember that passing and neighbour notes may occur in pairs, either in similar or contrary motion. If in
similar motion, they form a third or sixth; if in contrary motion then they can form a third, sixth or (for PNs
only) a fifth or octave. Look again at the examples above to see the intervals with pairs of PNs.

Most PNs and NNs are unaccented, though sometimes they may occur in an accented position, as in the
example below. Use accented PNs and NNs sparingly, mostly in the Soprano, rarely if at all in the Bass.

In the following example, the quaver A at the beginning of the second beat is an accented PN. It moves to the
note G which is part of the G major first inversion chord here. Similarly, F# is an accented PN. In the second
bar, the quavers G and E are accented PNs. Each of them moves to a note belonging to the chord of D major
(the V of G major).

I I6 IV ii V I6
Practice: Try playing the Soprano and Bass lines only at the keyboard.
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Remember that introducing passing or neighbour tones will not “fix” problems of parallel or direct fifths or
octaves that are present.
Likewise, be careful that you do not inadvertently introduce these prohibited progressions when you include
PNs and NNs.
Also, remember that PNs and NNs are not included in Roman numeral chord indications.
What is wrong with each of the following examples?

Other kinds of non-chord tones exist (but will not be part of the assessment requirements for this course).
Among these, we may mention the note of anticipation and the pedal point.

Notes of anticipation arrive ‘early’, that is, just before the chord where they would normally occur, as in the
following example (from Couperin’s ‘La lugubre’ for harpsichord):

A Pedal Point involves sustaining the bass note for several bars while the harmony above it may change. This
may result in dissonant intervals between the bass and upper parts.

Here is a typical instance of a tonic pedal point, taken from the conclusion of Bach’s organ Prelude and Fugue
in G minor BWV 535:

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 Practice Sheet

Question 1.
In the following example, circle non-chord tones and identify them using abbreviations (PN, NN).

Question 2:
Rewrite the following piece using passing notes and neighbour notes. Include Roman numeral chord indications.

Question 3:
This example contains only Soprano and Bass.
Task: Add the Alto and Tenor (remember to observe the figured bass symbol at the cadence).

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SOLUTIONS:

Question 2:

I I6 IV V I6 I V6 I IV I6 V V I

Question 3:

Solution for SATB:

Optional Extra Practice: rewrite your solution to Question 3 in Keyboard format (one note in the Left Hand,
three notes in the Right Hand).
• Do not change the given melody (which will be the top notes in the Right Hand)
• Do not change the Bass (which will be the Left Hand).