Reference Cadences

English: Plagal cadence Español: Cadencia plagal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 A cadence is a chord progression which marks a close or conclusion at the ends of phrases, sections, or at the end of the entire piece. Cadence is a Latin word which means "to fall." cadences mark the "falls" (points of rest) in music.

Practice these cadences, first hands separately, then together. Play in all keys.

Plagal Cadence I  IV  I

First Position

C  F   C

I   IV  I

CEG/CEG

CFA/CFA

CEG/CEG (rest)

Second Position

EGC/EGC

FAC/FAC

EGC/EGC (rest)

Third Position

GCE/GCE

ACF/ACF

GCE/GCE (rest)

Authentic Cadence I  V  I

First Position

C  G  C

I   V   I 

CEG/CEG

BDG/BDG

CEG/CEG (rest)

Second Position

EGC/EGC

DGB/DGB

EGC/EGC (rest)

Third Position

GCE/GCE

GBD/GBD

GCE/GCE (rest)

Complete Cadence In Three Positions  I  IV  I  V  I

 First Position C Major
             
C  F   C  G  C
I    IV I   V  I

CEG/CEG
CFA/CFA
CEG/CEG
BDG/BDG
CEG/CEG  (rest)

Second Position

EGC/EGC
FAC/FAC
EGC/EGC
DGB/DGB
EGC/EGC  (rest)

Third Position

GCE/GCE
ACF/ACF
GCE/GCE
GBD/GBD
GCE/GCE (rest)

First Position A Minor

Am  Dm  Am  E  Am
i       iv      i      V   i

ACE/ACE
ADF/ADF
ACE/ACE
G#BE/G#BE
ACE/ACE  (rest)

CEA/CEA
DFA/DFA
CEA/CEA
BEG#/BEG#
CEA/CEA (rest)

EAC/EAC
FAD/FAD
EAC/EAC
EG#B/EG#B
EAC/EAC (rest)   

For those who want to learn more...

Cadences occur at the end of a phrase, or the end of part of a phrase. They are the melodic or harmonic ending of a phrase, section, movement or complete composition. In other words, it’s a chord progression that feels like a conclusion. You play a combination of chords to close a musical phrase and rest with a sense of resolution.

There are many types of cadences to study in music theory. I know of several common cadences. Here are four of them.

1. Authentic Cadence consists of the V or V7 chord followed by the I chord. An example of what to play looks like these notes that you can play in both hands:

V = AC#E
I = DF#A
V6 = C#EA
I = DF#A
V7 = AC#EG
I = DF#A
V65 = C#EGA
I = DF#A

2. Half Cadence (V7) creates an expectation that something is coming next because the dominant chord is not resolved. A Half Cadence is a cadence that ends with a V or V7 chord. It is also called imperfect cadence. An example of this progression could be played here.

I = DF#A
V = AC#E
IV64 = DGB
ii6 = GBE
V7 = AC#EG
V of V = EG#B
V = AC#E

3. Plagal Cadence (IV - I) is familiar to the ear.  You probably have heard it when singing amen at the end of a hymn played in church. A Plagal Cadence consists of an IV chord followed by an I chord. Many musicians refer to it as the church cadence or amen cadence. It's the very first cadence I learned at the piano. An example would be:

IV = GBD
I = DF#A
IV64 = DGB
I = DF#A

4. Deceptive Cadence (V7) is very unpredictable. It consists of a V (or sometimes IV) chord followed by a vi chord. The most common are:

V7 – vim (classical and pop)
V7 – iiim (jazz and pop)
V7 – im (when key is major)
V7 – I (when key is minor)
V7 – IV (gospel, pop, etc.)
V7 – bVI (various pop, classical, etc)

There are more cadences to know.

Full Cadence (V7 – I) Tones moving from tension and arriving at resolution with the ending chord playing in root position. Also known as Authentic Cadence.
Imperfect Cadence begins with ii, vi or IV. It starts like the sound of a question and resolves to the V chord.
Perfect Cadence moves from the V chord - I chord. Practice them and remember, all cadences end with the I or V chord and are made of two chords.


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Practice four cadence patterns to be familiar with them!

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