Music Theory · Chapter 14, Lesson 14.6 — Ear Training & Transcription

Recognizing Cadences by Ear

Q: What does an authentic cadence sound like?

V to I, a strong 'full stop' — the most conclusive-sounding cadence, used to end phrases and whole pieces with total finality.

Q: What is a half cadence and how does it feel?

A half cadence ends on V instead of resolving to I, so it feels like a comma rather than a period — a pause that clearly expects more music to follow.

Q: Why is the plagal cadence called the 'amen cadence'?

The plagal cadence (IV to I) is the harmony traditionally sung under the word 'Amen' at the end of hymns, giving it a gentle, churchly, softly conclusive feel compared to the more forceful authentic cadence.

Q: What makes a deceptive cadence surprising?

A deceptive cadence sets up a V chord that your ear expects to resolve to I, then moves to vi instead — a chord that shares two notes with I but isn't home, creating a moment of harmonic surprise or delay.

Cadences are music's punctuation marks. Learn to hear the difference between a full stop, a comma, an "amen," and a surprise twist.

Expert ⏱ 6 min read 👂 Interactive

Four cadences, four punctuation marks

A cadence is a short chord motion that closes a musical phrase. Just like punctuation shapes how a sentence lands, each cadence type gives a phrase a distinct emotional ending:

Cadence	Motion	Punctuation feel
Authentic	V → I	A full stop — strong, conclusive
Half	(I or IV) → V	A comma — a pause expecting more
Plagal	IV → I	The "amen" — soft, churchly, gently conclusive
Deceptive	V → vi	A surprise — sets up an ending, then swerves

The authentic cadence is the strongest way to end a phrase — V pulls hard into I, and the arrival feels total. A half cadence deliberately stops short, landing on V so the ear expects the phrase to continue. The plagal cadence is famous as the harmony under "a-men" at the end of hymns — softer than an authentic cadence, but still clearly home. The deceptive cadence is the trickster: it builds up all the tension of V wanting to resolve to I, then slides to vi instead — a chord that shares two notes with I but isn't home, creating a moment of harmonic surprise.

👂 Name That Cadence Hear a short two-chord cadence in a random key, then guess its type.

Score: 0 / 0

💡 Trivia: Classical composers sometimes wrote long, ornate passages that sound exactly like they're building toward an authentic cadence — only to swerve into a deceptive cadence at the last second, a favorite trick for extending a piece's emotional climax.

Common questions

What does an authentic cadence sound like?

V to I — a strong "full stop," the most conclusive-sounding cadence, used to end phrases and pieces with finality.

What is a half cadence and how does it feel?

It ends on V instead of resolving to I, feeling like a comma — a pause that clearly expects more music to follow.

Why is the plagal cadence called the "amen cadence"?

IV to I is the harmony traditionally sung under "Amen" at the end of hymns — gentle and churchly, softer than an authentic cadence.

What makes a deceptive cadence surprising?

It sets up a V chord the ear expects to resolve to I, then moves to vi instead — a chord that shares two notes with I but isn't home.

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Four cadences, four punctuation marks

Common questions

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