Anticipations, escape tones, appoggiaturas, and pedal points are nonharmonic tones that decorate a melody without belonging to the underlying chord. You identify each one by checking three criteria: how it is approached, how it resolves, and where it sits rhythmically (accented or unaccented). Getting comfortable with these four types helps you analyze scores, label nonchord tones, and recognize patterns by ear on the AP Music Theory exam.

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Why This Matters for the AP Music Theory Exam

Embellishing tones show up constantly in real music, so being able to spot and name them is a core analysis skill. On the AP Music Theory exam, you will run into nonharmonic tones in score analysis and contextual listening, where you need to label what is happening above or around a chord. The same skill supports harmonic analysis, since you have to separate true chord tones from decoration before you can name a chord or Roman numeral correctly.

This topic focuses on identifying these four embellishing tones in both performed and notated music. In AP written work, you write embellishing tones only when they are indicated by figured bass, Roman and Arabic numerals, or the prompt itself, so accurate identification comes first.

Key Takeaways

Classify every nonharmonic tone using three criteria: approach, resolution, and rhythmic placement (accented or unaccented).
An anticipation arrives early, sounding the next chord's note before that harmony actually appears; it is unaccented because it comes before the beat of the new chord.
An escape tone (échappée) is approached by step, then leaps in the opposite direction to resolve, like an incomplete neighbor tone.
An appoggiatura is commonly approached by leap and resolved by step, often landing as an accented dissonance that then steps to a chord tone.
A pedal point is a single sustained pitch (commonly in the bass) held while the harmony changes above it, becoming dissonant when the chords clash with it.
Be able to recognize these by ear and on the page, since the exam tests both performed and notated examples.

The Four Embellishing Tones

These nonharmonic tones let a melodic line move in ways that passing tones and neighbor tones do not, including motion by leap. For each one, ask the same three questions: How is it approached? How does it resolve? Is it accented or unaccented?

Anticipation

An anticipation is a note that arrives early, sounding a pitch that belongs to the upcoming chord before that chord actually appears. A common spot is the end of a phrase. Moving from V to I in a cadence, you might sound the tonic in the soprano a beat or division early, before the rest of the I chord arrives.

Because an anticipation lands before the new harmony, it usually clashes with the current chord and sounds dissonant for a moment, then resolves when the expected chord finally appears. By definition it comes ahead of the beat of the new chord, so an anticipation is always unaccented. That early, unaccented placement is one way it differs from a suspension, which you study in the next topic.

Escape Tone

An escape tone, also called an échappée, works like an incomplete neighbor tone. You approach it by step from the preceding chord tone, then it resolves by leap, usually in the opposite direction. So if you step up to the escape tone, you leap back down to the resolution, and if you step down to it, you leap back up.

This step-then-leap-the-other-way shape is the signature of an escape tone. If a note steps up and then leaps further up in the same direction, that is not a clean escape tone resolution.

A quick contrast: if the note in between two chord tones actually belongs to both chords (for example, an E inserted between a tonic chord and its inversion while the harmony stays on tonic), that is an arpeggiation, not a nonharmonic tone, since the note is a chord tone the whole time.

Appoggiatura

An appoggiatura is a nonharmonic tone that is commonly approached by leap and resolved by step. It often lands on the beat as an accented dissonance, then steps down (or up) to a chord tone. That accented arrival is what gives it its leaning, expressive quality.

You may see appoggiaturas written as small grace notes in some scores, but on the AP Music Theory exam, focus on the common behavior: leap in, accented dissonance, step out to resolution. Compare this with an escape tone, which is approached by step and leaves by leap. The two are close to opposites in their approach and resolution.

Pedal Point

A pedal point, also called an organ point, is a single sustained pitch held while the harmony changes above it. It is most often found in the bass and very commonly on the tonic or dominant scale degree. While the pedal is held, some of the chords above it will fit the sustained note and some will not, so the pedal moves in and out of consonance with the changing harmony.

A pedal point usually starts as a chord tone, becomes nonharmonic as the harmony shifts away from it, and ends as a chord tone again when the harmony returns. This creates a sense of stability or tension underneath moving chords, which is why composers often use it to build toward a strong arrival.

How to Use This on the AP Music Theory Exam

Score Analysis

When you see a labeled chord and a note that does not fit it, identify the embellishing tone with the three criteria. Trace the note before it (approach) and the note after it (resolution), then check whether it falls on a strong beat (accented) or a weak beat or division (unaccented).

Step in, leap out the opposite way: escape tone.
Leap in, step out, often accented dissonance: appoggiatura.
A chord's note showing up early, unaccented, before its harmony arrives: anticipation.
A held pitch (often bass) that the moving chords clash with and then return to: pedal point.

Contextual Listening

By ear, listen for the rhythm and direction of the embellishment. An anticipation pops the next note in early right before a cadence. A pedal point sounds like a low pitch droning while everything above it moves. An appoggiatura sounds like a leaning, slightly dissonant accent that then settles by step.

Written Work

Add embellishing tones only when the figured bass, Roman and Arabic numerals, or prompt tells you to. Arabic figures can signal a specific nonharmonic tone in a progression. When you do write one, follow normal voice-leading rules and make sure your approach and resolution match the type you intend.

Common Trap

Always confirm a note is actually nonharmonic before labeling it. If the note belongs to the chord (or to both chords it connects), it is a chord tone or an arpeggiation, not an embellishing tone.

Common Misconceptions

Anticipations are not accented. Because they sound before the new harmony, they are always unaccented. The accented early-then-held tone you might be thinking of is a suspension.
Escape tones do not resolve by step. They are approached by step and then leap, usually in the opposite direction. Resolving in the same direction is poor voice leading.
Appoggiaturas are not just tiny grace notes. The grace-note look is just one way to notate them. Many appoggiaturas are written as normal full-value notes, and the leap-in/step-out pattern is a common way to recognize them.
A pedal point is not always dissonant the whole time. It usually begins and ends as a chord tone and only becomes nonharmonic when the harmony above moves away from it.
Not every leaping or repeated note is a nonchord tone. If the pitch is part of the prevailing chord, it is a chord tone or part of an arpeggiation, not an embellishing tone.

Quick practice: Write a simple T-PD-D-T progression and insert at least three different embellishing tones (passing, neighbor, anticipation, escape tone, appoggiatura, or pedal point) in the soprano or bass. Check that each one follows the correct approach, resolution, and rhythmic placement, and that your chord-tone voice leading still works.

Vocabulary

The following words are mentioned explicitly in the College Board Course and Exam Description for this topic.

Term	Definition
18th-century harmony	The harmonic practices and conventions of common-practice period music from the 1700s, including rules for chord construction and voice leading.
4-3 suspension	A suspension where a fourth above the bass is held and resolves to a third, commonly notated in figured bass as 4-3.
accented nonharmonic tone	A nonharmonic tone that falls directly on a beat, making it rhythmically prominent.
anticipation	A nonharmonic tone that sounds before the chord it belongs to, typically resolving by step to a chord tone.
appoggiatura	A nonharmonic tone that is approached by leap and resolved by step to a chord tone, typically creating emphasis or dissonance.
bass line	The lowest melodic line in a musical composition that often implies harmonic progressions through its note choices.
chain of suspensions	A series of successive suspensions that occur in sequence, creating a continuous pattern of suspended and resolving tones.
chorale style	A compositional style featuring four-part harmony with block chords, typically used in 18th-century German hymn settings.
embellishing tones	Pitches that do not belong to the underlying harmonic chord and serve to embellish or decorate the melody.
embellishment	A decorative musical element used to enhance or ornament a melodic line.
escape tone	A nonharmonic tone that is approached by step and left by leap, creating a sense of escape from the expected resolution.
figured bass	A notational system using Arabic numerals below a bass note to indicate the intervals and pitches of the chord to be played above that bass note.
lower neighbor	A type of neighbor tone that approaches and resolves from a pitch below the main melodic note.
neighbor tone	A type of nonharmonic tone that includes lower neighbor and upper neighbor classifications based on melodic approach and resolution.
neighbor tones	Embellishing tones that move by step away from and then back to the same harmonic tone.
ornament	A decorative musical figure or embellishing tone used to enhance a melodic line.
parallel sixths	Two melodic lines moving in the same direction with a consistent interval of a sixth between them.
parallel thirds	Two melodic lines moving in the same direction with a consistent interval of a third between them.
passing tone	A type of nonharmonic tone that is melodically approached and resolved in a specific manner, classified as either accented or unaccented based on its rhythmic placement.
pedal point	A sustained or repeated pitch in the bass that remains constant while harmonies change above it, creating a nonharmonic relationship.
preparation	The approach or introduction of a nonharmonic tone, establishing how it enters the melodic line.
rearticulated suspension	A suspension in which the suspended tone is restruck or rearticulated rather than held continuously from the previous chord.
resolution	The movement of a chord tone, typically by step, to another chord tone, often from a dissonant interval to a consonant one.
retardation	A nonharmonic tone that delays the resolution of a chord tone by resolving upward by step to a chord tone, the opposite of a suspension.
Roman numeral progression	A harmonic progression notated using Roman numerals to indicate chord function and quality.
soprano line	The highest melodic line in a musical composition, typically sung by the highest voices or played by the highest instruments.
suspension	A nonharmonic tone created when a note from a previous chord is held or rearticulated over a new chord before resolving downward by step to a chord tone.
trill	An ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between a note and the note above or below it.
unaccented nonharmonic tone	A nonharmonic tone that falls on a division between beats rather than directly on a beat.
unaccented passing tones	Embellishing tones that occur on weak beats and connect two harmonic tones by stepwise motion.
upper neighbor	A type of neighbor tone that approaches and resolves from a pitch above the main melodic note.
voice exchange	A technique where two voices exchange their melodic material or swap positions in the harmonic texture.
voice leading	The technique of moving individual melodic lines (voices) in a musical composition, including considerations for smooth transitions and proper resolution of chords.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is anticipation in music theory?

An anticipation is a nonharmonic tone that arrives early, sounding a pitch from the next chord before that harmony appears. It is unaccented because it comes before the beat of the new chord.

What is an escape tone?

An escape tone is approached by step and resolved by leap, usually in the opposite direction. It works like an incomplete neighbor tone.

What is an appoggiatura?

An appoggiatura is commonly approached by leap and resolved by step. It often lands as an accented dissonance before settling into a chord tone.

What is a pedal point?

A pedal point is a sustained pitch, often in the bass, held while the harmony changes above it. It usually begins and ends as a chord tone but becomes nonharmonic when the chords above move away.

How do you identify nonharmonic tones on the AP Music Theory exam?

Check three things: how the note is approached, how it resolves, and whether it is accented or unaccented. Also confirm the note is not part of the current chord before labeling it nonharmonic.

What is the difference between anticipation and suspension?

An anticipation sounds the next chord tone early and is unaccented. A suspension carries over a prepared note into the next harmony as an accented dissonance before resolving, usually downward by step.