What are Ornaments In Music?

By Melodics

January 23, 2025

Making music on a computer sound organic or human can be tied to a lot of different factors. Often, it boils down to expression, and the little details of embellishment. In composition and songwriting, this is often known as ornamentation. Lots of music features ornaments which often float on by the untrained ear. In this post, we’ll pull out our magnifying glasses and take a closer look at different types of ornamentation, and how they’re used in music across all genres.

Making music personal.

The personal touch in your music can be a tricky thing to define. Most people struggle to pinpoint precisely what makes their music unique. One side of the equation is the instruments you use.

On the other side is the melody and how the main musical voice of your music is expressed. Melodies have a unique way of carrying across personal style. Amongst one of the most popular and timeless tools for songwriters, composers, producers, and performers alike is the use of ‘ornamentation.’

What is Ornamentation in Music?

Ornamentation in music refers to the embellishments, decorations, and flourishes added to a melody or musical composition. It is the art of adding expressive and decorative elements to the main musical voice, enhancing its beauty, emotion, and personal style.

Ornamentation can take various forms, including trills, turns, grace notes, slides, and vibrato, among others. These ornaments serve to add color, texture, and nuance to the music, allowing musicians to showcase their creativity and individuality. Whether it's in classical, jazz, folk, or any other genre, ornamentation plays a significant role in making the music more personal and captivating to the listener.

When used with care, ornaments can add levels of depth and emotion. It also adds a human element to your productions if you work mostly on the computer. Where one melodic phrase may sound a little flat, ornamentation brings volume and life. How exactly can ornaments be used in your music you might ask? Well, let’s take a look at some examples and break down how ornamentation can subtly make simple ideas truly great.

Types of Ornamentation

If you're interested in experimenting with ornamentation, start with these ideas and see what resonates with your personal style.

Trills: A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, often used in music to add a shimmering or sparkling effect to the melody. This technique can enhance the expressiveness of a piece by creating a sense of movement and excitement.
Turns: A quick series of notes that typically begin from the main note, then move up or down before returning to the original note. This creates a decorative flourish that adds elegance and complexity to the musical line.
Mordents: A rapid alternation between the main note and the note immediately above or below it. This technique is often employed to add a touch of tension and ornamentation, enriching the texture of the music.
Grace Notes: Quick, ornamental notes played just before the main note, serving to subtly embellish the melody. These notes are typically very brief and can add nuance and depth, enhancing the emotional expression of the piece.
Appoggiaturas: A type of grace note that leans on the main note, creating a gentle dissonance that resolves to the desired note. This tension and resolution can produce a poignant effect, adding emotional weight and beauty to the music.
Acciaccaturas: Similar to appoggiaturas, acciaccaturas are quick grace notes played with a sharp emphasis before rapidly resolving to the main note. This technique is often used to add sudden impact or emphasis, injecting energy and drama into the musical passage.

These ornaments, among others, provide musicians with the freedom to add their personal touch and interpretation to the music, making it more dynamic, expressive, and engaging.

From the 17th century to today.

While ornaments have their roots deeply ingrained in musical history all over the globe, let’s take a look at a more contemporary example; Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinkin Bout You’. While the song is mesmerizing in its production, it’s Frank’s voice which brings everything together. In the pre-chorus, listen to how he sings “I’ve been thinkin’ bout you… Oh no no no”. In the first half of the lyrics he sets up the melody-line, and in the second half, he brings it back down. If you listen closely, you can hear that “oh no” section uses ornamentation to make a simple melody nuanced and expressive. The specific ornament used in this section is known as a ‘mordent’, where you move either up or down one note and back to the original in a quick gesture. What’s interesting here is that this technique has been around in western music since at least the 17th century! Frank’s voice also uses a series of more complex ornaments in the chorus as well.

Make it compelling.

The quick flourishes and graces notes you hear in a virtuosic pop singer’s voice are all excellent examples of ornamentation. Pop versions of national anthems (O Canada) can give you a strong sense of how ornaments make melodies compelling and exciting. Back in the 17th century, when ornamentation cemented itself as a key component of western music, ornaments themselves were not always included in the written music. It was often left open to the performer to make the music their own through their personal use of ornaments.

If you’re interested in working with ornaments for added inspiration and creativity in your melodic songwriting, try out Melodics’ course on Ornamentation. You’ll have the opportunity to play through some exciting examples ranging from minimalism to trap so that you can improve your keyboard skills and add a definitive personal touch to your future productions.

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