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Ornaments

Mordent and inverted mordent

Make one quick neighbour-note flick and return to the written pitch.

See it in the score

Regular mordent on F in Bach's C-minor Prelude

This is the catalogue's reviewed regular mordent and shows the compact zigzag over its main pitch.

Open measure 34 in the piece
Regular mordent on F in Bach's C-minor Prelude From Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 847 by J.S. Bach, source measure 34.

Passage playback follows the literal encoded notes, rhythm, tempo, and written directions in this excerpt. It is a study aid, not a model of a pianist's touch, phrasing, ornament realization, or pedal technique.

In a sentence

Make one quick neighbour-note flick and return to the written pitch.

A mordent is shorter than a trill: the main note moves to one adjacent scale step and immediately returns. The whole gesture fits inside the written duration.

Regular and inverted signs choose opposite neighbours. This page shows the catalogue's rare regular form beside more common inverted forms so the visual distinction is explicit.