Figuration (music)

In music, figuration is the playing around a melody in small note values , as opposed to an ornament . The melody is figured, ie varied. Figurations are unstressed intermediate or passage tones in the melody. Because they are unstressed, it doesn't matter that they can be foreign to the ladder. Intermediate or passage tones can be diatonic ( ladder-like , mostly whole-tone steps ) or chromatic ( half-tone steps and mostly not ladder-like ). Also changing notes occur as figurations, top or bottom and turn diatonic or chromatic. Analogous to the melody-related alternating notes, there are also alternating chords.