Add Grace Note Patterns Throughout the Keyboard

Simple tunes become more interesting when embellishments (grace notes) are added to the basic melody.

Now that you are comfortable with scale and chord patterns throughout the keyboard based on one finger pattern, adding a grace note pattern to each note adds flexibility to your playing. Embellishments often use notes a half step below and above the main note. Hence, you are incorporating non-scale notes into your playing. Hence interest to the music. 

Because you are adding non-scale notes, you want to be very secure with scales and chords before adding grace notes. Otherwise, you become confused and frustrated.

Embellishments

The basic grace note is playing a half step below or above the main note before playing the main note.

The turn embellishment is playing a half step below the main note, then playing the main note, then playing a half step above the main note, then playing the main note or beginning a half step above the main note and reversing the pattern.

The following link lists various types of embellishments. 


http://dictionary.onmusic.org/appendix/topics/ornaments

Stylistic Musical Ornamentation

Various musical styles often involve particular types of ornamentation.


For example, Bulgarian at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfM1tX1efeQ


For example, Irish at the link below.

http://www.tradschool.com/en/tunes/ornamentation-in-irish-music


For example, ornament performance at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGvRUIO170w


For example, Serbian at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCrNORbMuR0


For example, Romanian at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrjIFrGr5Gc


Noam Oxman plays a song in its original style, then in Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian styles. Notice the different use of grace notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t17BI-tHI-4