Quick Facts
- Related Topics:
- harmony
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
suspension
music
suspension, in music, a means of creating tension by prolonging a consonant note while the underlying harmony changes, normally on a strong beat.

The resulting dissonance persists until the suspended note resolves by stepwise motion into a new consonant harmony. In the examples above, the upper note is suspended then resolved. See also appoggiatura.
Britannica Quiz
Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">