Articles tagged with: "resolution"

Suspended Chords: A Guide to Creating Tension and Motion in Music
Suspended chords, or "sus" chords, are a vital tool for any songwriter, composer, or musician. By replacing the defining third of a chord with either a more neutral second (sus2) …

Tritone (Augmented Fourth): The Devil's Interval
The tritone, an interval spanning six semitones, is arguably the most fascinating and historically significant interval in Western music. Known for its jarring dissonance and powerful need for...

The Ultimate Guide to the Dominant Seventh Chord
If there's one chord that acts as the engine of Western music, it's the dominant seventh. You've heard its tense, unresolved sound countless times in everything from Bach to blues, …

The Complete Musician's Guide to Altered Dominant (7alt) Chords
The altered dominant, commonly notated as 7alt, is a sophisticated dominant 7th chord that incorporates one or more altered extensions (b9, #9, b5, #5) to create maximum harmonic tension. This …

Sus4 Chord: The Classic Suspended Harmony
The sus4 chord (suspended fourth) is a triad where the third is replaced by a perfect fourth above the root. This creates a distinctive, open-sounding harmony with a strong tendency …

Minor Second Interval: The Tension of Adjacent Notes
The minor second, the smallest interval in Western music, spans a single semitone (or half step). It is the most dissonant harmonic interval, creating a powerful sense of tension that …