erakordsete

Erakordsete is a term used in Estonian music theory to describe chords that fall outside the common diatonic triads and widely used extended chords. The label is often translated as "unusual chords" or "non-standard chords" and is applied in discussions of harmony to describe coloristic or functionally atypical harmonies.

The concept is not tied to a single formal definition; different authors may include different chord types under erakordsete. In practice, the term helps describe harmonies that reveal non-tonal or non-diatonic character, such as chromatic mediants, borrowed or modal mixture chords, altered dominants used in unconventional positions, clusters, quartal or quintal harmonies, as well as polytonal devices.

In Estonian analytical writing, erakordsete forms are discussed primarily in modern and contemporary contexts, including popular music analyses. The use of the term reflects a descriptive approach rather than a fixed theoretical category, and it often depends on the musical context and the analyst's intent. Some sources reserve erakordsete for chords that create marked timbral or tonal color rather than functional resolution, while others group a wider array of non-diatonic sonorities under the label.

See also harmoonia, tonaalsus, modal mixture, chromatic mediants, cluster chords, polytonality.