Ornamental or non-harmonic tones are discussed here in relation to chords and chord progessions. Their origin however lies in older contrapuntal music from before the era of major minor tonality; modal polyphony.

Neighbouring tones:

• are found on a weak beat, relative weak beat or weak part of a beat
• leave a tone stepwise and then return to it
• can be ascending and descending
• can be diatonic and chromatic

 

Passing tones:

• are found on a weak beat, relative weak beat or weak part of a beat
• make a stepwise fill between two different tones
• can be ascending and descending
• can be diatonic (filling a third) and chromatic (filling a major second)

Suspensions:

• are found on a strong or relatively strong part of the measure
• are prepared as consonant
• become dissonant on the strong or relatively strong part of the measure
• resolve stepwise (in older music mostly descending, later in history also ascending)

 

Appoggiaturas:

• are found on a strong or relatively strong part of the measure
• enter freely without preparation
• resolve stepwise (in older music mostly descending, later in history also ascending)

 

example with double apoggiatura and anticipation