The punctuation of music.

Now that you know how chords function, here's the natural next question: how do phrases end?

A cadence is the chord movement at the end of a musical phrase. It's the punctuation. Some cadences feel final, like a period. Others feel suspended, like a comma or a question mark. The type of cadence determines whether the music sounds finished or whether it sounds like there's more coming.

There are four main types. They're all defined by the last two chords of a phrase.

The strongest resolution in music. Dominant to tonic. Tension to home. This is the period at the end of the sentence.

Play those two chords and you'll feel the finality immediately. The V needs to go to I, and when it does, everything feels resolved.

You'll sometimes see a distinction between perfect authentic (where both chords are in root position and the melody lands on the root of I) and imperfect authentic (where one of the chords is inverted, or the melody doesn't land on the root). The perfect version sounds more final. For now, just know that V → I = strong ending.

Most songs end with an authentic cadence. Most sections within songs do too. It's the default way to say "we're done here."

A half cadence ends on the dominant instead of resolving to it. The phrase stops on the V chord, which feels unfinished. Like ending a sentence with a comma, or asking a question.

You hear the V and your ear expects resolution, but it doesn't come. Not yet. This is how composers and songwriters create phrases that feel like they need a continuation.

Half cadences are everywhere. The first half of a verse often ends on a half cadence, and the second half resolves with an authentic cadence. Question, then answer.

The plagal cadence moves from the subdominant to the tonic. IV → I. It's sometimes called the "Amen cadence" because it's literally the chord movement behind "Amen" at the end of hymns.

It feels resolved, but softer than V → I. There's no dominant tension pulling you home. You just... arrive. It's warm and gentle.

In pop and rock, you'll hear plagal cadences as a kind of afterthought. The song already resolved with a V-I, and then the IV-I at the very end adds a little extra closure. Think of the outro of a song where the chords just rock back and forth between IV and I until they fade out.

The deceptive cadence sets you up for resolution and then pulls the rug out. Your ear expects V → I, but instead you get V → vi. The vi chord shares two notes with I, so it almost feels like home, but not quite. It's a surprise.

This one is genuinely fun. Play V and your whole body expects I, and then vi lands and it's this moment of "wait, that's not what I expected, but it works?" It's surprising without being jarring.

Songwriters use deceptive cadences to extend a section that would otherwise feel finished. You were about to resolve, but the vi chord sends you off on another phrase instead. It keeps the music going when the listener thought it was about to end.

You don't need to memorize a chart. Just remember:

  • V → I: done. Period.
  • ? → V: not done yet. Comma.
  • IV → I: done, but gently. Soft period.
  • V → vi: fooled you. Surprise redirect.

As you listen to music, start noticing where phrases end. Does the ending feel final? That's probably authentic. Does it feel like a question waiting for an answer? Half cadence. Does it feel warm and calm? Plagal. Does it feel like a swerve? Deceptive.

Play a simple four-chord progression in any key, but try ending it with each type of cadence. For example, in C major:

  • Authentic: C - Am - G - C (the G → C at the end)
  • Half: C - Am - F - G (stop on the G)
  • Plagal: C - Am - F - C ( IV → I)
  • Deceptive: C - Am - G - Am (V → vi instead of V → I)

Listen to how different each ending feels, even though the progression is nearly the same. That difference is what cadences are about.