Appoggiatura (grace note)
An appoggiatura is a small unslashed note that leans on the beat and delays the main note, taking time from it. Its exact share of the written value depends on metre, period and style; not every unslashed grace note in later repertoire follows the older proportional rules.
The sources do not fully agree about this sign. The explanation above says where they part company.
- Ornaments and grace notes
- Just before the note
- An oval or notehead, A straight line
Do not confuse it with
An appoggiatura has no slash and normally takes time on the beat; an acciaccatura is slashed and usually very brief.
What the sources say
- Steps to Music Theory — Compound Meters
The appoggiatura resembles a grace note, but it has no slash.
- Grace notes
An appoggiatura is very similar, but there is no slash through the stem and on playback it will delay the main note slightly.
- Learning Manual — Grace notes
\appoggiatura (a grace note with a slur to its main note)