Nonchord tone

A pitch that is not part of the harmony sounding beneath it. Nonchord tones often create melodic motion, tension, or ornamentation between chord tones.

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Chord tone: A note belonging to the harmony of a chord sounding at the same time. Its membership in the sounding chord distinguishes it from a nonchord tone.
Passing tone: A nonchord tone that connects two chord tones by step in the same direction. It fills a melodic gap while moving between chord tones.
Melodic embellishment: The addition of notes that decorate a melody without changing its underlying structure. Nonchord tones commonly embellish a melody while preserving its harmonic framework.
Diatonic note: A pitch belonging to the seven-note scale governing a passage. A note may be diatonic yet still fall outside the chord sounding beneath it.
Harmony: The simultaneous combination of pitches and the progressions formed by changing combinations. Nonchord status depends on the harmony sounding beneath a note.
Neighbor tone: A nonchord tone approached by step from a chord tone and left by step back to it. It briefly departs from a chord tone before returning.
Cadence (music): A harmonic and melodic pattern that marks a point of rest or closure. Nonchord tones can intensify or delay the arrival of a cadence.
Dissonant chord: A chord whose notes create instability or tension in a musical context. A nonchord tone is outside the current chord, whereas a dissonant chord contains its notes.
Voice leading: The technique of connecting musical parts through coherent melodic movement. Nonchord tones often arise as voices move between chord tones.
Suspension (music): A prepared nonchord tone held into a new harmony before resolving downward by step. Its delayed resolution makes harmonic change audible as tension.