MusicianCV · TRSuspension: preparation, tension, resolution
Open the interactive module
Harmony and melody
A suspension carries a prepared tone into a new harmony where it becomes dissonant, then usually resolves by step. Its motion through time differs from simply labeling a static chord sus4.
Listen for preparation, suspension and resolution. Over a C bass, F resolving to E can form a 4–3 suspension when F was prepared in the preceding harmony. Accent and timing complete the musical relationship.
Example
Prepare F, move the bass to C, then resolve F down to E.
Suspension: preparation, tension, resolutionF → F → E / F C C
Try it
Which upper notes form a 4–3 resolution above C?
Answer
F descending to E.Related topics
What tonic and dominant do · Leading voices between chordsReferences
Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom
Subject-expert review pending.