Brainlag Plus Music
Brainlag Plus MusicNotes outside the chord
The five kinds of melodic decoration in the Grade 6 syllabus, how each is reached and left, and the suspension as an extension.
First, is it in the chord?
A melody does not have to sit on chord notes all the time. A note outside the chord under it is a decoration, and what makes it one kind or another is how it is reached and how it is left: by step or by leap, on a strong beat or a weak one.
So for any marked note, ask in order:
- Is it a note of the chord under it? If yes, it is not a decoration.
- How does the melody get to it, and where does it go next?
- Is it on a strong beat (1 or 3) or a weak one?
The rest of this lesson and its 4 practice questions are in Plus Music.
Screen 1 of 4, free to read.
- 4 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards