Musical Cadences are harmonic sequences that resolve or otherwise mark the end of a musical phrase. These chord resolutions come in various types and can be heard across many musical genres!
To be the best musician you can be, it’s essential to know what these different cadences sound like and how they function. That’s why we will explore all the different types of musical cadences you’ll encounter in jazz music.
You’ll learn about various cadence types—
- Authentic Cadences
- Half Cadences
- Plagal Cadences
- Deceptive Cadences
- and more!
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Table of Contents
What Are Musical Cadences?
Musical cadences perform two essential roles for listeners.
- Musical cadences tell the listener that a musical phrase has ended. Cadences are chord resolutions that punctuate the end of a phrase or chord progression. They can occur within a section, at the end of a section, and—most recognizably—at the end of a piece of music.
- In addition to ending musical phrases, musical cadences tell the listener the key or tonality of a section or piece of music. They often resolve to the tonic chord, which is the “home base” chord, where the harmonic progression feels at rest.
Diatonic Chords
Before diving into the different types of musical cadences, reviewing the different diatonic chords in major keys is essential.
We have to review these diatonic chords because we will refer to musical terms like the “V chord” and the “IV chord” when reviewing specific examples of musical cadences.
The major scale contains seven notes in a sequence: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
Each one of these notes has a name based on its scale degree:
- C (the first degree) is the tonic
- D (the second degree) is the supertonic
- E (the third degree) is the mediant
- F (the fourth degree) is the subdominant
- G (the fifth degree) is the dominant
- A (the sixth degree) is the submediant
- B (the seventh degree) is the leading tone
These seven notes make up all seven diatonic chords when harmonized in thirds.
- C major (I) is the tonic chord
- D minor (ii) is the supertonic chord
- E minor (iii) is the mediant chord
- F major (IV) is the subdominant chord
- G major (V) is the dominant chord
- A minor (vi) is the submediant chord
- B diminished (vii°) is the leading tone chord
In the following sections, we will use terms like the dominant chord and the tonic chord to describe different types of musical cadences.
Check out this article for more on diatonic chords.
Cadences as Tension and Release
Cadences in tonal music are great examples of tension and release. A musical phrase or idea builds tension as it develops and releases it once it resolves to the tonic chord.
The different types of cadences we’ll discuss will have different “flavors,” so to speak. They may use different chords and lead to unexpected places, but the main driving force behind them will be the notion of tension and release (even if that release is delayed or never comes).
With that out of the way, let’s get into the different types of cadences in music!
Types of Cadences in Music
We will look at four main types of musical cadences you’ll encounter when listening to music. Though each one of these musical cadences fulfills the role of ending a musical phrase, the way they do so differs.
- Authentic Cadences (Perfect and Imperfect)
- Plagal Cadences
- Half Cadences
- Deceptive Cadences (Interrupted Cadence)
Authentic Cadences
Authentic cadences move from V to I (dominant chord to the tonic chord) or from vii° to I (leading tone chord to the tonic chord).
A V to I authentic cadence would be G to C in the key of C. A vii° to I authentic cadence would be B° to C. Authentic cadences are the most direct and definitive conclusion to a musical statement or phrase ending.
There are two types of authentic cadences in music:
- Perfect Authentic Cadences
- Imperfect Authentic Cadences
Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC)
Perfect authentic cadences are the most conclusive and definitive type of cadence. There is no doubt about their resolution and they blatantly mark the tonality or key. To be considered a perfect authentic cadence, the progression must meet three basic requirements:
- Both chords need to be in root position
- The tonic note must be the highest voice in the final chord
- The penultimate chord must be a V chord (not a vii° chord)
In the perfect cadence above, both chords are in root position, and the final chord’s upper voice is the tonic note. Below is another example of a perfect cadence where the upper voice in the dominant chord moves down stepwise instead of up stepwise, like in the example above. Both are perfect cadences.
We have an imperfect cadence when a cadence fails to meet the three requirements listed above but still moves from V to I (or vii° to I in one particular case).
Imperfect Authentic Cadence (IAC)
Imperfect cadences are still quite conclusive, but are still considered imperfect because they fail to meet the three requirements listed above for perfect cadences. There are three separate ways an authentic cadence might be imperfect. One or more of these characteristics can be in play at once.
- Root Position Imperfect Cadence
- Inverted Imperfect Cadence
- Leading Tone Imperfect Cadence
Let’s explore each imperfect cadence in greater detail.
Root Position Imperfect Cadence
With a root position imperfect cadence, the two chords are in root position but the tonic note isn’t the highest voice in the tonic chord. This feels less resolved than if the tonic note were the highest voice.
Inverted Imperfect Cadence
You have an inverted authentic perfect cadence when one or more chords are inverted. The root note is not the lowest voice when a chord is inverted.
There is a subtype of inverted imperfect authentic cadences called an evaded cadence. With an evaded cadence, a second inversion dominant chord resolves to a first inversion tonic chord. In the key of C, the progression would be G7/D to C/E.
Leading Tone Imperfect Cadence
A leading tone imperfect cadence occurs when a vii° chord replaces the V chord. Most essential chord tones are still present, but the pull from vii° to I is not as strong as the pull from V to I.
A B diminished chord has most of the essential chord tones of a G7 chord. It only lacks the G! Therefore, it’s close, but not perfect!
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE...
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Half Cadence
A half cadence occurs when a musical phrase ends on a dominant chord. Half cadences leave the progression feeling unresolved and are perfect for pauses or rests in a musical piece. They leave the listener with a sense that there is more to come, which is true in most cases.
Some composers choose to end on the V chord, intentionally leaving the progression unresolved.
Anytime a musical phrase or statement ends on a V chord and doesn’t resolve to I, you have a half cadence. Though virtually any chord can precede the V chord, a few half cadences have specific names based on the preceding chord.
Phrygian Half Cadence
Phrygian half cadences occur in minor keys when a first inversion iv chord moves to the V chord. The lowest voice in the iv chord is a half step away from the V chord, and this half-step movement sounds like the half-step movement between the ii and the i in the Phrygian mode.
In the key of C minor, the chords would be F-/Ab and G:
Check out this article to learn more about the Phrygian mode.
Lydian Half Cadence
The Lydian half cadence is similar to the Phrygian half cadence because it occurs in minor keys and involves the same type of chord preceding the V chord, a first inversion iv chord. However, with the Lydian half cadence, the iv chord is raised by one half step.
This raised fourth is why it’s called a Lydian half cadence.
Check out this article for more on the Lydian scale.
Burgundian Cadences
Burgundian cadences are half cadences that maintain parallel fourths between the upper two voices. These were common in the Burgundian music of the 15th century.
Check out this resource for more on the Burgundian school of music.
Plagal Cadence
The plagal cadence is instantly recognizable as the “amen cadence.” Instead of a V to I chord progression, it uses a IV to I chord progression. This doesn’t have as strong a pull back to the I and sounds more relaxed than an authentic cadence.
Minor Plagal Cadence
Perhaps more popular than the plagal cadence is the minor variation which can be heard across many musical genres. You’ve definitely heard this before! It’s an example of borrowed harmony or modal interchange.
With modal interchange, you borrow a chord from a different key. In this case, when you are using a minor iv chord in a major key, you are borrowing that chord from the parallel minor key.
Check out this article to learn more about modal interchange and this one to learn about parallel minor keys.
Deceptive Cadence
A deceptive cadence, also known as an interrupted cadence or false cadence, starts on a V chord but resolves to an unexpected chord instead of the I chord. In major keys, deceptive cadences usually resolve to the vi chord. In minor keys, deceptive cadences often resolve to the VI chord.
However, these cadences don’t have to resolve to the vi or VI chords; they just often do.
That’s because the I and vi chords share many common tones. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the I chord and the vi chord in the key of C.
Here is what this deceptive cadence sounds like:
Let’s hear another example of a deceptive cadence. In the following example, the V chord resolves to the IV chord instead of the I chord.
Deceptive cadences are considered irregular resolutions—they don’t resolve where you’d expect. These cadences sound incomplete or suspended as if we are not quite home yet. Composers use these cadences to leave the listener wanting more out of what comes next.
Other Types of Cadences
There are other compositional devices composers use to end musical phrases. The following phrase endings are not as common as the other cadences mentioned previously, but you should still know about them!
Picardy Cadence
A Picardy cadence occurs in minor keys when the V chord resolves to a major I chord rather than a minor i chord. Also known as a Picardy third, these cadences subvert the listener’s expectation that the final chord will be minor by playing a major chord instead.
Landini Cadence
The Landini cadence, also known as the Landini sixth cadence, is a musical figure most famously used by Renaissance composer Francesco Landini. This music cadence uses an escape tone in the upper voice of the line right before the resolution to the I chord.
In a Landini cadence, the leading tone moves down to the submediant before springing to the tonic note. In the key of C, the B in a G7 chord moves down to an A right before moving up to a C. Check it out below:
The Role of Cadences in Musical Storytelling
Cadences are an essential feature of composition that helps composers tell a musical story. As we’ve already discussed, cadences are used to end musical phrases, whole sections, and entire compositions. The type of cadence a composer chooses affects how the listener perceives the song.
For example, perfect cadences give a strong sense of finality, while deceptive cadences build tension but don’t have as strong of a conclusion or resolution.
Cadences were also pivotal in operas and other plays that featured music. The cadence acts as a type of punctuation that helps punctuate the falling action in a scene.
Practicing Cadences in Jazz Music
So, how should you practice cadences?
As you might know already, there is a powerful chord progression in jazz music that can be found in nearly every jazz tune. The ii-V-I is perhaps the most important jazz chord progression and contains an authentic cadence!
In jazz music, musicians interpret the harmony of the moment by comping through chord progressions. This gives the chord player nearly complete freedom to interpret the harmony of a jazz standard. That’s why jazz musicians must be familiar with the different ways they can play a cadence.
When you see a ii-V-I on the chord chart, you can interpret that progression in many ways! Here are a few examples:
- You have the choice to play a perfect authentic cadence or make it imperfect.
- You can play a deceptive cadence and resolve to the iii chord instead of the I chord.
- You can implement some older cadence styles and play a Landini cadence.
- You can use chord substitutions and sub out the V chord or the vii°
- You can incorporate turnarounds that use borrowed chords like the minor iv or minor plagal cadence.
As a jazz musician, you want to practice all the different cadences you have at your disposal. That way, you can play them effortlessly when comping or improvising.
Check out this article for more on the ii-V-I progression and this one for chord substitutions.
Listening Exercises
You must spend time listening and learning how to identify different types of cadences in music so you get a sense of what these cadences sound like in the wild!
Engaging in listening exercises pinpointing authentic, vulgar, and deceptive cadences within classical music, hymns, and Romantic-era pieces will sharpen your ability to discern the differences between each cadence type.
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