What is an Escape Tone?

An escape tone is a type of non-chord tone that occurs when a melody moves by step from a chord tone to a non-chord tone and then leaps away in the opposite direction to another chord tone. It briefly departs from the harmony and then quickly returns to a stable note.

The typical pattern of an escape tone is step → leap. First, the melody moves by step from a chord tone to a non-chord tone on a weak beat. Then it leaps in the opposite direction to another chord tone. Because it appears briefly and resolves quickly, the escape tone functions as a decorative melodic figure rather than a structural part of the harmony.

For example, if a melody in C major moves from E to F (step) and then leaps down to C, the note F acts as the escape tone. Escape tones are commonly used in classical and tonal music to add melodic variety and expressive movement without strongly disrupting the underlying harmony.