Cadences Explained: Perfect, Plagal, Half, and Deceptive

Play a G7 chord on the piano — G B D F — and hold it for a moment. Feel that tension in the sound, that sense of something unfinished. Now resolve it to C major. That movement, those two chords at the end of a phrase, is a cadence. It is the most basic act of musical grammar, and once you can name each kind, you will hear the shape of every piece you play.

A cadence is a two-chord formula at the end of a phrase that tells the listener how "finished" this moment is. Think of it as harmonic punctuation: a full stop, a comma, an "Amen," or a sudden swerve. This guide covers all four types — perfect authentic, plagal, half, and deceptive — in both major and minor keys, with examples you can play right now. Every section links the free worksheets that go with it.

What a cadence is (and what a phrase is)

Music in the tonal tradition is built from phrases, short musical sentences that last anywhere from two to eight measures. Like a sentence, a phrase has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The cadence is the ending: the last two chords before the music breathes.

You already know something about cadences from The chords of a key, which describes three harmonic functions — tonic (I, home), subdominant (IV, away), and dominant (V, tension). Cadences are what happen when those functions collide at a phrase boundary.

The two chords of a cadence have Roman numeral names based on their position in the key. In C major: I is C major (C E G), IV is F major (F A C), V is G major (G B D), V7 is G dominant seventh (G B D F), and vi is A minor (A C E). Capital numerals mean major chords, lowercase mean minor ones.

The Perfect Authentic Cadence: V7–I

The perfect authentic cadence (PAC) is the full stop of tonal music. It has three requirements: V (or V7) moves to I, both chords are in root position (the root in the bass), and the highest voice — the soprano — arrives on the tonic.

V7–I in C major. G7 (G B D F) resolves to C major (C E G). Both root position; soprano arrives on C. The leading tone B rises by a half step to C, and the 7th F falls by a half step to E.

Play that V7–I movement at the piano. The satisfying snap you hear comes from two half-step motions happening at once: the leading tone (B, the 7th degree) rises one half step to C, and the 7th of the chord (F) falls one half step to E. Those two contrary motions make the PAC the strongest possible ending.

The Cadences worksheet describes this as "the dominant's pull resolves home — nearly every piece you have ever heard ends this way." That is not an exaggeration: the PAC closes hundreds of thousands of pieces from the Baroque to today.

Why it must be root position

If V is in first inversion (B in the bass instead of G), or if the soprano ends on E or G instead of C, the cadence is still authentic — but it is an imperfect authentic cadence (IAC), and it sounds weaker. The IAC suits a mid-phrase breath, not a final close.

An imperfect authentic cadence: V–I with the soprano landing on E (the 3rd). Both chords are still root position, but the top voice misses the tonic, so the resolution feels incomplete.

Play both: the PAC with the soprano on C, then the IAC with the soprano on E. The first sounds finished; the second leaves a small question open. That difference of one scale degree changes the whole character of the ending.

The Plagal Cadence: IV–I

The plagal cadence moves from IV to I. In C major, that is F major (F A C) to C major (C E G). There is no leading tone, no half-step tension — just a warm, gentle settling.

Plagal cadence in C major. F major (F A C) moves to C major (C E G). Two common tones (C and A/E) make the motion smooth; F falls a half step to E.

You know this cadence from every church hymn you have heard: the "A–men" at the end is IV–I, nearly always. The Cadences in Every Key worksheet calls it exactly that — "the 'Amen' — the soft landing sung at the end of hymns." Sing "A-men" as you play IV–I in C, and you will never forget what it sounds like.

The plagal cadence has a gentler weight than the authentic because it lacks the dominant's urgent leading tone. That is why it closes a prayer, not a symphony movement.

The plagal cadence also appears at the end of pieces that have already closed with a PAC. Beethoven sometimes adds a plagal IV–I after the final V–I, as if to say "and also... peace." The primary chords worksheet describes IV as "warm and supportive, without the dominant's urgent lean" — that quality explains its role here.

The Half Cadence: ends on V

A half cadence ends on V. The phrase stops in mid-air, tense, expecting more. It is the musical comma: not an ending but a pause.

Half cadence: I–V in C major. C major (C E G) moves to G major (G B D). The phrase stops on the dominant and waits.

Any approach to V can create a half cadence: I–V, IV–V, ii–V, even vi–V. The defining feature is not what chord came before, but that the phrase lands on V. Here is IV–V, another common half cadence:

A IV–V half cadence. F major (F A C) moves to G major (G B D). Like the I–V version, the phrase stops on the dominant.

The Cadences sheet calls the half cadence "a comma, not a period: the phrase pauses on tension and asks for more." That is exactly the right image. After a half cadence, something must follow to answer the question.

The antecedent phrase

Composers use the half cadence to build paired phrases. The first phrase (the antecedent) ends with a half cadence; the second phrase (the consequent) answers it with a perfect cadence. Together they form a period — one of the most fundamental phrase structures in tonal music. Beethoven uses it in the opening of Ode to Joy, and virtually every folk song and hymn tune is built this way.

Phrase structure: the period

Before moving to the deceptive cadence, it is worth seeing how the half and perfect cadences work together in a full musical period.

A complete musical period in C major. The antecedent phrase (bars 1–2) ends with a half cadence on V; the consequent phrase (bars 3–4) answers with a perfect authentic cadence on I. The two cadences give the whole structure its question-and-answer shape.

Play the antecedent phrase and stop at the half cadence. Then play the consequent, and feel how the perfect cadence closes what the half cadence opened. This four-bar shape is the basic building block of countless pieces. Try it at Identify the cadences: each exercise gives you a phrase and asks you to name the cadence at its end.

The Deceptive Cadence: V7–vi

The deceptive cadence starts like a perfect cadence — V7, with all its tension — but instead of landing on I, it swerves to vi. In C major, vi is A minor (A C E). The ear expects C major; it hears A minor instead.

Deceptive cadence in C major. G7 (G B D F) moves to A minor (A C E). The bass rises a step (G→A) where you expected it to fall a fifth (G→C).

The Cadences in Every Key worksheet calls it "the plot twist — your ear expects home but lands on the sad twin." A minor is built on the 6th scale degree, and it shares two notes with C major (C and E). That is why the deceptive cadence feels almost — but not quite — like a resolution: two notes land where you expected them, and one (A in the bass) is a surprise.

Composers use the deceptive cadence to extend a phrase. If V7–I would close the music, V7–vi instead opens another phrase, another thought. It is a rhetorical device: "I'm not done yet."

The deceptive cadence works by exploiting the listener's expectation. After several authentic cadences, any V7 sets up the expectation of I. When vi arrives instead, the surprise is the point.

The four cadences: a summary

Before moving to minor keys, it helps to have all four types in one place. The Cadences worksheet gives you all of them with audio; play each one and match the sound to the name.

The four cadence types. The defining feature is always the last chord: I means authentic or plagal (look one back to decide which); V means half; vi (or VI in minor) means deceptive.

The identification flowchart makes it concrete:

How to identify any cadence: start with the last chord, then check the chord before it. This two-step process handles every case.

Cadences in minor keys

Everything above is in C major. The same four cadence types exist in minor, but two things change.

First: tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords are built on a minor scale, so they carry lowercase Roman numerals — i, iv, v. Second: to get a half-step pull home, the dominant chord in minor must be major. In A minor, the natural V is E minor (E G B) — no leading tone, no urgency. Harmonic minor raises the 7th degree from G to G♯, turning E minor into E major (E G♯ B). That G♯ is a half step below A, so it creates the same leading-tone pull as B→C does in C major.

The primary chords in minor worksheet says it plainly: "B stays natural so the pull home stays strong — capital V." Whenever you see a sharp on the 7th degree in a minor-key piece, a V chord (or a vii° chord) is nearby, and an authentic cadence is probably coming.

Perfect cadence in A minor: V–i

Perfect authentic cadence in A minor. E major (E G♯ B) resolves to A minor (A C E). The G♯ is borrowed from harmonic minor; without it, V would be E minor with no leading tone. V: E2/E4 G♯4 B4. i: A2/A4 C5 E5.

Compare this with the C major PAC in fig-01. The structure is identical — major V resolves to tonic — but the minor quality of i gives the landing a darker color. Play both back to back and notice the difference in character.

Plagal cadence in A minor: iv–i

In A minor, the plagal cadence uses the minor subdominant: iv (D minor, D F A) to i (A minor, A C E). Both chords are minor, deepening the somber quality.

Plagal cadence in A minor: iv–i. D minor (D F A) settles onto A minor (A C E). The minor quality of iv makes the landing darker than the major IV–I. iv: D2/D4 F4 A4. i: A2/A4 C5 E5.

This iv–i sound is common in folk music, modal music, and film scores that want a darker, more resigned quality. The chords of a minor key worksheet lists all seven chords of A natural minor, including iv as one of the minor ones.

Deceptive cadence in A minor: V–VI

In a minor key, the deceptive cadence resolves V not to vi but to VI — the major chord on the 6th degree (the submediant). In A minor, that is F major (F A C), which is uppercase VI (a major chord).

Deceptive cadence in A minor: V–VI. E major (E G♯ B) moves to F major (F A C) instead of the expected A minor. The bass rises a half step (E→F) rather than falling a fourth (E→A). V: E2/E4 G♯4 B4. VI: F2/F4 A4 C5.

The major VI in A minor is F major, which shares the note A with the expected i chord — just as vi in C major shares C and E with the expected I. That common tone is what makes the deceptive resolution work: one voice arrives where you expected it, one surprises you.

Major vs minor: what changes

This table brings the major and minor versions together:

How the same cadence types work in minor. V stays major in both keys by raising the leading tone. The deceptive cadence targets vi in major (a minor chord) but VI in minor (a major chord) — both are on the 6th scale degree.

The half cadence is the same in both keys: the phrase lands on V, which is major in both (thanks to the raised leading tone in minor). Everything else follows from whether the tonic is major or minor.

How to hear and identify cadences

Cadences are not just theoretical categories — you can train your ear to recognize them. The Cadences worksheet includes audio for all four types. Here is what to listen for:

• Perfect authentic: the strong "THE END" snap of V7→I. The bass falls a fifth (G down to C, or E down to A), and everything settles.
• Plagal: the soft, wide "Amen" feeling. The bass rises a fourth (F up to C), and the motion is gentle.
• Half: the phrase stops on V, unresolved. Something was about to end — but did not. Play it and sit with the feeling of waiting.
• Deceptive: you hear the V7 build up expectation, then the bass steps up by a second instead of falling (G→A in C major). One note of surprise followed by a chord that is almost home.

Play the Cadences in Every Key worksheet in C major first, then pick two or three other keys from the picker and play them in those. The shape of the two chords stays the same; only the pitch level moves.

Four steps to identify cadences in a score

When you are reading a piece and want to identify a cadence, use this routine:

Four-step score-reading routine. Work from the last chord backward: it tells you the cadence type, with just one confirmation step needed.

The Identify the cadences worksheet (Exercise 36) puts this directly into practice: each phrase gives you three chords, and you write the Roman numeral for each one before circling the cadence type. It covers C major, G major, F major, D major, A minor, and E minor — a good sampling of the most common keys.

The hint on that worksheet says it perfectly: "Look at the last chord first. Lands on V? Half cadence — a comma. Lands on I (or i)? Then look one chord back: V or V7 makes it authentic, IV (or iv) makes it plagal — the 'Amen.' V7 landing on vi (VI in minor) is the deceptive surprise."

The four cadences: punctuation summary

Here is each cadence as a punctuation mark, the image that makes them easiest to remember:

Four cadences as punctuation. The period (PAC) is definitive; the comma (half) is open; the "Amen" (plagal) is gentle; the exclamation mark (deceptive) is a surprise.

Whenever you are playing a new piece and reach a phrase ending, ask: "Is this a full stop, a comma, an Amen, or a surprise?" Once you can answer that question by ear, you are reading music the way the composer heard it.

Free worksheets for this lesson

• Cadences — the four cadence types with audio, including the period exercise and cross-reference to Exercise 36 and 85
• Cadences in Every Key — the same four cadences in every major and minor key; use the key picker to practice in any key
• Identify the cadences — Exercise 36: eight phrases in six keys, write the Roman numerals and circle the cadence type
• The chords of a key — build the seven diatonic chords in any major key; understand what I, IV, V, and vi are
• The primary chords: I, IV & V — the three primary chords and their functions (home, away, tension)
• The primary chords in minor: i, iv & V — the same three functions in a minor key, with the major V explained
• The chords of a minor key — all seven chords of a natural minor key and how harmonic minor changes three of them

Hear it in every piece you play

Cadences are not an abstract theory concept — they are the moments you feel most strongly when you play. That snap at the end of a phrase, that sense of "it's over now," or that uneasy pause where the music waits — those are perfect, half, and deceptive cadences. Once you can name them, you will start to hear the whole harmonic structure of a piece, not just individual notes.

If you would like a piano teacher to point out cadences in a piece you are learning, or to help you identify them by ear in real time, that is exactly the kind of work that happens in a live Tissimo lesson.

Sources

• Cadence (music) — Wikipedia
• Authentic cadence — Wikipedia
• Plagal cadence — Wikipedia
• Deceptive cadence — Wikipedia
• Cadences — Open Music Theory (Bryn Hughes & Kris Shaffer)
• Harmonic functions — Open Music Theory
• Tonal Harmony, 8th edition — Kostka, Payne & Almén (McGraw-Hill, 2018)
• The Complete Musician, 4th edition — Laitz (Oxford University Press, 2015)