Articulation & Ornaments

Grace Note

Definition

A grace note is a small ornamental note printed in front of a main note. It does not count in the bar's rhythm; its time is borrowed from a neighboring note. A slash through it means play it very quickly.

A grace note is a small note printed in front of a main note. It decorates the main note but does not count in the rhythm of the bar: if you add up the beats, you skip it. Its time is borrowed, usually from the main note, sometimes from the note before.

Two treble-clef staves in 4/4. The first has a small slashed grace note F-sharp 4 before a quarter note G4, a quarter note B4, two small beamed grace notes C5 and B4 before a quarter note A4, and a quarter note G4. The second writes them out: a thirty-second F-sharp 4 and a double-dotted eighth G4, a quarter B4, thirty-second notes C5 and B4 and a dotted eighth A4, and a quarter G4. — Left: a slashed grace note F-sharp before G, then a pair of beamed grace notes C and B before A. Right: one way to play them on the beat: each grace note becomes a thirty-second note, and the main note keeps the rest of its beat.

The kinds of grace note

One small note with a slash through its stem: an acciaccatura, played as quickly as possible.
One small note without a slash: in music before about 1800, often a long, leaning appoggiatura; in later music usually quick as well.
A group of two or more small notes, usually beamed sixteenths or thirty-seconds: played quickly and lightly, flowing into the main note.
Small notes after a note, such as the two notes that end a trill: they belong to the note before and lead into the next one.

How to play grace notes

First learn the main notes and the underlying rhythm. Then place the grace notes according to the style: a quick grace note may begin on the beat, delaying the main note slightly, or just before it. A long appoggiatura instead takes a substantial share of the main note's time and is often accented before resolving more softly. Not every grace note should be quick or lighter than its main note.

When you learn a new piece, practice the melody without the grace notes first. Once the main notes are secure, add the small ones back in.

Grace notes beyond classical music

Many traditions decorate melodies with very quick notes. Highland bagpipe music is full of grace notes, partly because the chanter cannot stop between notes, so grace notes are used to separate repeated notes. Irish fiddle and flute players use "cuts" and "taps," and blues and rock players add quick hammer-ons and slides that work the same way.

Practice reading and playing them with Grace Notes, and compare the periods in Ornaments through the eras.

Common questions

Do grace notes count in the rhythm?

No. A grace note has no beat of its own. Its time is borrowed from the main note or the note before, so the bar adds up without it.

What is the difference between a grace note and an acciaccatura?

Grace note is the general name for any small ornamental note. An acciaccatura is one kind: a single small note with a slash, played as quickly as possible.