Types of Cadences
Cadences occur at the end of musical phrases. Different types of cadences evoke different feelings and direct the listener in various directions. If you learn how to identify cadences, you can become a better listener, composer, and performer.
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Chords
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Chords are made up of three or more notes played simultaneously. Chords give music a tonal center for the melody, and Roman numerals (such as I, IV and V) are used to refer to chords describe the root (bottom) note of the chord in relation to the first note of the scale.
Chord Progressions
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Chords progressions give music movement Music is driven by chord movement. Chords give music a tonal center, and chord progressions give music originality and richness. Different types of cadences are actually just different arrangements of the last chords in a progression.
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Perfect Authentic Cadence
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The perfect authentic cadence is the most common type and is most often found at the end of a piece. The chord progression of this cadence is V-I.
Plagal Cadence
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Compared to the perfect authentic cadence, the plagal cadence is a slightly weaker ending. The progression of this cadence is IV-I, and it is often used mid-piece to transition from one phrase into the next.
Deceptive Cadence
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Deceptive cadences fool the listener This cadence uses the V chord to anticipate the I chord; instead of resolving down, however, this cadence goes from V-vi. A deceptive cadence can be used to bring richness to a pattern or to elongate a musical thought.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit music image by Markus Götze from Fotolia.com guitar chord image by Alex Motrenko from Fotolia.com mask image by Lovrencg from Fotolia.com
