Acciaccatura

A short grace note before an essential melodic note

Acciaccatura is a type of ornamentation in music, generally consisting of one or two notes (grace notes), and only appearing in the main melody. In sheet music, the grace note(s) is denoted by a smaller size of eighth note(s) with a slash, and connected to the main note with a slur. When playing an acciaccatura, the grace note(s) is usually played quickly, as the main note is the emphasized note.

Acciaccatura is similar to appoggiatura, but acciaccatura emphasizes the main note, while appoggiatura emphasizes the grace note.

Example of Acciaccatura

Acciaccatura Example - Musical Concepts (Download in Description)

Writer: Frankie Chan