What is an Anticipation (Music)?

An anticipation in music is a type of non-chord tone where a note from the upcoming chord is played slightly before the chord actually changes. This creates a brief moment where the melody introduces the next harmony early, producing a subtle sense of forward motion in the music.

For example, if the harmony is about to change from a C major chord to a G major chord, a melody might briefly play the note G before the chord change occurs. In this case, the G functions as an anticipation because it belongs to the next chord rather than the current one. When the harmony changes, the note becomes a stable chord tone.

Anticipations are commonly used to smooth transitions between chords and add rhythmic interest to a melody. By introducing the next chord tone slightly ahead of time, composers and performers create a sense of momentum that helps the music flow naturally into the following harmonic change.