SuspensionsDelaying a note so it clashes, then letting it fall into place.MusicThree stages, always in this order.1PreparationThe note appears as a consonance in the previous chord.2SuspensionThe chord changes underneath; the note is held and is now adissonance.3ResolutionThe held note falls by step into the new chord.THE 4–3 SUSPENSIONOver G: hold C from the previous chordC against G is the 4th — dissonantC falls to B, the 3rd. Resolved.Sus2 and sus4 chords in pop are suspensions that are never resolved— the tension becomes the sound.Suspensionslearnposters.com
Suspensions — printable music wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Suspensions, step by step

Three stages, always in this order.

  1. PreparationThe note appears as a consonance in the previous chord.
  2. SuspensionThe chord changes underneath; the note is held and is now a dissonance.
  3. ResolutionThe held note falls by step into the new chord.

The 4–3 suspension

  • Over G: hold C from the previous chord
  • C against G is the 4th — dissonant
  • C falls to B, the 3rd. Resolved.

Sus2 and sus4 chords in pop are suspensions that are never resolved — the tension becomes the sound.

Questions about the Suspensions poster

What’s on the Suspensions poster?
3 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Three stages, always in this order. Preparation — The note appears as a consonance in the previous chord.; Suspension — The chord changes underneath; the note is held and is now a dissonance.; Resolution — The held note falls by step into the new chord.. Sus2 and sus4 chords in pop are suspensions that are never resolved — the tension becomes the sound.
Who is the Suspensions poster for?
Suspensions belongs to the Music section rather than to a school year, because music is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning theory can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Suspensions poster?
A suspension is prepared, sounded, then resolved. Skip the preparation and it is just a wrong note. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Suspensions belongs on the wall where that music work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Suspensions?
Borrowed Chords, Cadences and Building Chords sit alongside Suspensions in the Music section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Borrowed ChordsCadencesBuilding Chords
Is the Suspensions poster free to download and print?
Yes. Suspensions downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Music section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Suspensions poster print at?
Suspensions is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Suspensions loses nothing.Printing guide

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