What is an Anticipation (Harmony)?

An anticipation in harmony is a non-chord tone that appears before the chord it belongs to, briefly sounding early in the melody before the harmony changes. The note anticipates the next chord, which is why it is called an anticipation.

In this situation, the melody introduces a note from the upcoming chord while the current chord is still being played. When the harmony changes to the new chord, the note becomes a chord tone and no longer sounds dissonant. Because the note resolves by remaining the same when the chord changes, anticipations often occur on weak beats or offbeats.

For example, if a progression moves from G major to C major, the melody might play the note C slightly before the chord changes. While the G chord is still sounding, C is a non-chord tone, but once the harmony shifts to C major, the note becomes part of the chord. Anticipations are commonly used in classical, jazz, and popular music to create smooth melodic motion and rhythmic interest.