Cadences

A phrase is a musical sentence, and the cadence is its punctuation. Play this loop and feel it land.

The authentic cadence: V to I

A cadence is simply how a phrase ends. The move you just heard — V resolving to I — is the authentic cadence, the strongest arrival in music. V is the point of maximum tension in the key, and its notes lean hard toward home. When it lands on I, the door closes. Full stop.

The deceptive cadence: the stairs move

Now play this one. Same first three chords, but watch the last step.

V resolves to vi instead. You expected home and got its shadow — like climbing stairs in the dark and finding one more step where the floor should be. That surprise is the deceptive cadence. It is not a wrong note; it is a comma instead of a period, a trick composers use to keep a phrase alive a little longer.

The plagal cadence: the soft amen

There is a third classic ending: IV to I, the plagal cadence. It is the gentle "amen" sung at the end of hymns. Without the strong pull of V, the landing feels soft and warm — less a door closing, more a slow exhale.

Quiz