Sointupiste

Sointupiste (Finnish for “chord tone”) is a pitch that belongs to a given chord. In tonal music, every moment of harmony is associated with a set of chord tones—the notes that form the chord itself.

For a major or minor triad, these are the root, third, and fifth. Extended chords add additional chord tones such as the seventh, ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth. Sointupiste thus refers to any of the notes that define the harmony at a given moment.

Role and usage: Chord tones provide stability and are commonly placed on strong beats in melodies, helping to reinforce the underlying harmony. Non-chord tones are pitches that do not belong to the current chord and are used for melodic interest, such as passing tones, neighbor tones, suspensions, and other embellishments; they typically resolve to chord tones.

In analysis and practice, musicians map melodic pitches to the current chord tones to understand harmony. Improvisers and arrangers often outline the harmony by arpeggiating chord tones; learning arpeggios of triads and extended chords helps reinforce tonal function and coherence within a progression.