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Cadence In Music Theory – A Complete Guide

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Cadence in Music – Last Updated October 10th, 2022

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Cadence In Music

A cadence in music is a progression of chords that gives an effect of closing to a phrase or sentence in music. Cadences in music could also be defined as a “point of rest.”

Cadence is an important part of music composition because it lets us feel the endpoint of a musical piece. Cadence contributes greatly to structuring the music into phrases and sections and forms a major part of musical form development.

In general, anything that has a beginning must also have an end. This is basically the case for music performance. Every piece of music has a beginning and an end.

In addition, every music idea known as a “phrase” has a beginning and an end.

Particularly, there is a magic feeling when the ending of a piece or phrase is smooth and satisfactory. In order to achieve this in music composition, we used what we called cadence.

Cadence is basically a point in the music where the player or singer can logically pause or stop. With cadence, listeners will feel that a musical phrase or a section of a piece has come to an end.

This is not magic because there is an essential feature of music that makes it possible. This essential feature is basically the cadence.

In this article, we will look at what cadence is in musical content and discuss different types of cadences in music. So we will have knowledge of how cadences work in music and how we can use them effectively.

What Is Cadence in Music?

Cadence in music is a pair of chords that harmonize the end of a phrase or section in musical content conclusively.In other words, cadence is typically the final two chords that establish the conclusion of a melody, or a section of melody.

Moreover, we can say that cadence is a combination of chords that bring a section, a movement, or an entire piece of music to a close.

In short, a cadence in music theory is a definitive resolution to indicate that the piece, melody, or movement is over.

With this in mind, cadence occurs in any place within a piece of music that has the feel of an ending point. This can be a full ending point or a transient ending point.

Specifically, we experienced a full ending point or strong stopping point at the end of a piece. This is the point where all the musical ideals of the whole piece come to an end.

Furthermore, at the end of a movement or a verse, we feel the transient ending (resting) point or definite stopping point.This is the point where we pause briefly to tie up the ends of a musical idea within each larger section.

Why Do We Have Cadences In Music?

The main reason for using cadence in music is to create the effect of transient and final stops.

The effect of cadence in music is very similar to having punctuation marks in the spoken and written word.

Cadence in music is very similar to punctuating the written word, for instance, in the English language with commas and full stops.

The punctuation marks off the phrases and sentences and helps to clarify their meaning.

In the same sense, we can use certain chord progressions to mark off the phrases and sentences in music.

Therefore, cadence in music is referred to as musical “punctuation marks.”

Cadence in Music Theory Explained

The best way to understand cadence better is to see music as a language where phrases come together to form sentences. In the same language, different sentences come together to form paragraphs.

A note in music is like a phrase in a language, while a phrase in music is like a sentence in that language. Also, sections in music are the same as the paragraphs we have in languages.

Therefore, in the same way we speak a language, we sing or play music.

Now, let’s see cadence in music as the punctuation we use at the point of pauses and breaks in spoken speech.

With this in mind, we can see that cadences are the musical equivalents of commas and full stops.

Even sometimes, cadence presents itself like a question mark in language.

Cadence in music theory sometimes acts like a comma at a point at which music still needs to be finished. At this point, the listener will feel the end of a phrase or section but will still be expecting more content to follow.

So cadence can make music sound unfinished and open it up for more phrases or sections to come up.

Also, cadences serve as full stops at a point at which the musical content has finished. At this point, the music will sound conclusive or resolved. This usually happens at the end of a section or piece of music.

Moreover, cadence in music can also act as a question mark in language by arousing the curiosity of listeners.

Cadence Analogy to Storytelling in Language

Let us now hear how the story is told musically. Generally, stories are also divided into paragraphs, chapters, stanzas, scenes, or episodes, each with its own endings.

Every ending of each division helps us keep track of things and understand what is going on in the story.

In the same manner, we also group phrases and motifs into verses, choruses, sections, and movements in music. Every ending of any of the groups is marked by a relevant cadence to help us keep track of them as well.

There are possibilities of stopping a story at any point, but the end will not be satisfactory and conclusive if it stops in the middle. This will result in the listeners’ dissatisfaction and expectation to hear more.

This applies to the music as well. If a piece of music just stops on any note without a conclusive ending, it will lead to listeners’ dissatisfaction.

So like a sentence or paragraph, a piece of music must end properly, not just by simply stopping it at a point.

Satisfactory Ending In A Musical Story With Cadence

To achieve a satisfactory ending in both stories and music, the writer or composer normally provides a pointer that an end is coming. Thereafter, the story or music will end in a more satisfactory way.

The end of the musical phrase or section has a standard pattern that composers normally follow with cadence to make the music sound conclusive, especially as listeners will expect.

In conclusion, the way the end of a musical phrase sounds is dependent on the type of cadence used. Surely, certain cadences will sound finished while others will make the phrase in music sound unfinished or intriguing.

How Cadence Is Created in Music

Cadence is known as a place in musical composition where we can stop briefly and then continue playing or singing. Or a point at which we can satisfactorily stop the music.

This point of rest (pause or stop), known as cadence, is basically achieved in music with the aid of chords. Specifically, by using at least the last two chords in a phrase or section of a piece.

Cadence is basically created in music when a melody, rhythm, harmony, and other aspects of music come together and establish a feeling of resolution at the end of a phrase.

Moreover, the cadence can be described as “weak” or “strong” depending on the final impression it creates.

Although it is worth noting that cadence is usually classified by a specific chord or melodic progression,Because the use of that progression does not actually create a cadence. For cadence to be created, a sense of closure must exist at the end of a phrase.

In truth, harmonic rhythm contributes greatly to ascertaining where a cadence exists in music.

Notwithstanding, a cadence is produced by a combination of different features like the rhythm, the rise and fall of the melody, and the use of particular chord progressions in music.

Also, harmony, melody, texture, and form are part of what produces a feeling of cadence in music.

Harmony And Cadence Creation In Music:

In most Western and Western-influenced music (including jazz and “world” music), harmony is by far the most important signal of cadence. One of the most fundamental “rules” of the major-minor harmony system is that music ends on the tonic.

A tonal piece of music will almost certainly end on the tonic chord. Basically, individual phrases or sections may end on a different chord, and the dominant is a popular choice).

Nevertheless, a composer cannot just throw in a tonic chord and expect it to sound like an ending. The harmony must “lead up to” the ending and make it feel inevitable. just as a good story makes the ending feel inevitable, even if it’s a surprise. So the term cadence, in tonal music, usually refers to the “ending” chord plus the short chord progression that led up to it.

There are many different terms in use for the most common tonal cadences; you will find the most common terms below (Some Tonal Cadence Terms, as below). Some (but not all) modal music also uses harmony to indicate cadence, but the cadences used can be quite different from those in tonal harmony.

Melody And Cadence Creation In Music:

Cadence in music

In the major or minor tradition, the melody will normally end on some note of the tonic chord triad. And a melody ending on the tonic will give a stronger (more final-sounding) cadence than one ending on the third or fifth of the chord.

In some modal music, the melody plays the most important role in the cadence. Like a scale, each mode also has a home note, where the melody is expected to end. A mode often also has a formula that the melody usually uses to arrive at the ending note.

For example, in one mode, the penultimate note may be a minor third above the final note, whereas in another mode, the penultimate note may be a whole tone below the final note. (Or a mode may have more than one possible melodic cadence, or its typical cadence may be more complex.)

Rhythm And Cadence Creation In Music:

Changes in the rhythm, a break or pause in the rhythm, a change in the tempo, or a slowing of or pause in the harmonic rhythm are also commonly found at a cadence.

Texture And Cadence Creation In Music:

Changes in the texture of the music also often accompany a cadence. For example, the music may momentarily switch from harmony to unison or from counterpoint to a simpler block-chord homophony.

Form And Cadence Creation In Music:

Since cadences mark phrases and sections, form and cadence are very closely connected. And the overall architecture of a piece of music will often indicate where the next cadence is going to be. Every eight measures for a certain type of dance, for example,

When you listen to a piece of music, you actually expect and listen for these regularly-spaced cadences, at least subconsciously. An accomplished composer may “tease” you by seeming to lead to a cadence in the expected place, but then doing something unexpected instead.

Thus, a cadence is a harmonic or melodic configuration that is able to create a sense of finality, resolution, or pause.

A rhythmic cadence is a specific pattern which indicates the end of a musical phrase. While a harmonic cadence is a progression of 2+ chords which can conclude a phrase, a section, or be the conclusion of the composition.

Using certain rhythms or harmonic configurations does not necessarily mean that a cadence is being used. There must be a sense of closure included in the composition for a cadence to be present. The strength of that closure helps to determine whether or not the cadence is strong or weak, while providing a sense of tone and pitch for the entire composition.

Types of Cadences in Music

We have different types of cadence we can use to bring a sense of closure to a phrase in music. But basically, there are four common types of cadence and they are:

1. The Authentic Cadence

2. The Plagal Cadence

3. The Half Cadence

4. The Deceptive Cadence

Each type of cadence is somehow different from one another in the way they bring closure to a phrase. Basically, two of them sound resolved and the other two unresolved.

Cadence is resolved when the phrase is satisfactorily ended and does not call for continuation. On the other hand, the cadence is unresolved when the phrase ends and still calls for continuation.

Every type of cadences we have in music comprised the chords that constitute a musical phrase.

The Authentic Cadence

This is also known as “perfect cadence” in music and “the types of cadence that are completely resolved. Authentic cadence uses the chord of the dominant followed by the chord of the tonic (e.g. V to I). Specifically, the Perfect Cadence is formed from dominant and tonic chords.

The Plagal Cadence

This is also referred to as an “Amen cadence” because of the way most hymns end with Amen. Plagal cadence, like authentic cadence, is a completely resolved cadence but with a different feel. It uses the chord of the subdominant followed by the chord of the tonic (e.g. IV to I).

The Half Cadence

This is basically the perfect cadence reversed. Half cadence does not actually resolve like the first two types of cadences we discussed. A half cadence normally ends on a dominant chord (e.g., IV to V).  

The Deceptive Cadence

This cadence is unresolved as well. As its name suggests, it is deceptive in the sense that it creates an expectation of a full close, but instead of ending on the tonic, the (V) is followed by some other note as VI or II.

The deceptive cadence moves from a dominant chord to a non-tonic chord. It usually ends on the submediant chord (e.g. V-vi).

Feel free to check out our post on the Types of Cadences for more information.

Masculine or Feminine Cadence

Note that the cadence moves from weak beat to strong beat and from strong beat to weak beat.

However, it is very common for cadence to move from a weak beat to a strong or accented beat.

Specifically, as a rule, the last chord of a final cadence should fall on the accented beat of a bar.

This movement results when the cadence moves from a weak beat to a strong beat, so the cadence falls on a strong beat. This cadence is referred to as the masculine cadence.

On the other hand, if the cadence moves from a strong beat to a weak beat, the cadence will fall on the weak beat. This cadence is regarded as a feminine cadence.

Final Thought

As we have discussed, a cadence is actually a concept of a satisfactory ending to a musical phrase or piece. while the musical phrase can be anywhere within a musical piece.

Cadence is only created when there is a sense of closure at the end of a musical phrase.

We also have two unresolved cadence types, which are half cadence and deceptive cadence. We also have types of cadence that resolve cadences.

The two cadences that resolve are authentic cadence and plagal cadence.

The unresolved cadence is an unfinished ending that expects continuation, just like a coma. While the resolved cadence is completely finished, the ending does not expect continuation, just like a full stop.

We believe that this post has shed more light on what cadence is in music theory. And when used with other cadences-related articles on our blog, they will help us understand cadence in music better.

However, if there are one or two things from this guide that you need clarification on, kindly post it as a comment below. We promise to answer your question as soon as possible.


At Phamox Music, we go all out for exactness and honesty. For this purpose, if by any means you found any possible glitch, be it factual, editorial or something that we need to update, kindly contact us.


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