Retardation
A suspension that resolves upward instead of down
Related
A retardation is a suspension that resolves upward: it passes through preparation–suspension–resolution, but the final step rises to the target instead of falling. It is rarer than the descending suspension and feels more like a lift.
It is the rising variant of the suspension, which usually resolves down. The usual mistake is to treat them as the same — direction changes weight and feeling; a retardation lifts, a suspension falls.
Read deeper → suspension
Sources
- 上行挂留的定义，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Suspension"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.