   resolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance (an unstable sound) to a consonance (a more final or stable sounding one). dissonance, resolution, and suspense can be used to create musical interest. where a melody or chordal pattern is expected to resolve to a certain note or chord, a different but similarly suitable note can be resolved to instead, creating an interesting and unexpected sound. for example, the deceptive cadence. == basis ==  resolution has a strong basis in tonal music, since atonal music generally contains a more constant level of dissonance and lacks a tonal center to which to resolve. the concept of "resolution", and the degree to which resolution is "expected", is contextual as to culture and historical period. in a classical piece of the baroque period, for example, an added sixth chord (made up of the notes c, e, g and a, for example) has a very strong need to resolve, while in a more modern work, that need is less strong - in the context of a pop or jazz piece, such a chord could comfortably end a piece and have no particular need to resol
Consonance_and_dissonance