Grace note
A small ornamental note printed smaller than the others, played quickly just before the note it decorates.
A grace note steals its time from the note that follows, so it is played as fast as possible and the main note still lands on the beat. On guitar it is usually a hammer-on, a pull-off or a quick slide, which is exactly the material that gives blues and country lines their vocal quality. The written form does not fix a precise duration, so performers decide whether to make it a crisp snap or a languid slide depending on style.
Example: A blues phrase that flicks a quick hammered note before landing on the main note uses a grace note.
See also
Related
- PageTrill
- PageSlur
- PageAccent
- PageAccidental
- PageBar
- PageBend notation
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley