Non-Chord Tones (NCTs)

Non-chord tones can be classified by how one arrives at them and how one departs them. It is important
to note that in most cases NCTs in classical music are preceded and followed by chord tones, that is,
they are used in fairly strict ways to decorate melodies built off of chord tones.

Passing Tones
One steps into a passing tone and steps out of it in the same direction. Sometimes you will see a pair of
passing tones next to each other. This is inevitable: otherwise, one couldn't compose melodies with
scales, where it is frequently the case that two adjacent notes are both NCTs of a sounding harmony.

Neighbor Notes
Like the passing tone, one steps into and out of neighbor tones. However, one steps out in the opposite
direction as one stepped in. There are both upper and lower neighbor tones and combinations of these,
sometimes called cambiata or changing tones.
Escape Tone
One needn't just step into and out of NCTs. If one steps in and skips out, then the NCT is called an
escape tone. Direction doesn't matter: both can go up, both can go down, they can go in opposite
directions. However, there is a very characteristic use of escape tones in Baroque and Classical era music
involving a step up and a skip down of a third, as seen in the example below.

Appoggiatura
Appoggiatura could be described as the opposite of the escape tone in that one leaps into it and steps
out of it. Like with the escape tone, direction doesn't matter.
Anticipation
The next several NCTs involve a certain degree of either eagerness or laziness. An anticipation is an
eager beaver. It moves by step or skip into a NCT, but that NCT turns out to be a chord tone when the
following chord sounds. The name is a fitting description of its sound.

Suspension
The suspension is a bit lazy. It gets into the NCT by doing nothing. It just stays the same. Then, it resolves
downward by step to a chord tone. Note: it must resolve by step. There are a number of different types
of suspensions. They are labeled based on their interval from the bass note. For instance, a 4-3
suspension starts a 4th above the bass and resolved downward by step to the 3rd above the bass. Note
that a "3rd" could be a 10th or a 17th, that is, there could be an octave or two between the bass and the
suspended note. The 3 main types of suspensions are the 4-3, 7-6, and 9-8.
Sometimes we will see suspensions that resolve upward. This is particularly characteristic at the end of
works or sections in Classical era music. These upward-resolving suspensions are called retardations. For
our purposes, let's use them only at the end of a work. The example below includes both a 4-3
suspension and a 7-8 retardation.

Pedal Tone
This last NCT is truly the laziest of all NCTs we will see. It does nothing. How to get into it? Stay the same.
How to get out of it? Stay the same. Take a holiday, cause some dissonance, let the other notes solve
the problem. It's all okay. It's like the boss' son of non-chord tones.