HearmonyCadence in Music: The 4 Types of Cadences and How to Hear Them
A cadence in music is the pair of chords that ends a phrase, the way punctuation ends a sentence. There are four main types: the authentic cadence (V–I) sounds like a full stop, the plagal cadence (IV–I) is the soft "Amen", the half cadence (ending on V) is a comma, and the deceptive cadence (V–vi) is a surprise turn. In C major those are G–C, F–C, anything–G and G–Am.
Below you will find each cadence with its chords and how it feels, the British names you will meet in older books and exam papers, and a step-by-step way to recognize cadences by ear, with an eight-question quiz.
What is a cadence in music?
A cadence in music is a harmonic ending: the last two chords of a phrase, which tell the listener whether the music has finished or will go on. The word comes from the Latin cadere, "to fall", because phrases tend to come to rest at their cadences.
Cadences are named by the Roman numerals of their chords, counted from the home note of the key: I is the chord on the first degree, IV on the fourth, V on the fifth, vi on the sixth. If the numbers are new, the guide to scale degrees explains them. Outside music, "cadence" also means a rhythm or pace, as in a marching or running cadence; that meaning is unrelated to the chords here.
What are the 4 types of cadences?
The four types of cadences are authentic, plagal, half and deceptive. Two of them sound finished (authentic and plagal) and two sound unfinished (half and deceptive).
| Cadence | Chords | In C major | Like | Feels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authentic | V–I | G–C | a full stop | finished, strong |
| Plagal | IV–I | F–C | a soft full stop | finished, gentle, "Amen" |
| Half | ends on V (I–V, ii–V, IV–V) | C–G, Dm–G, F–G | a comma | open, waiting |
| Deceptive | V–vi | G–Am | a surprise twist | sidestep, not quite home |
The Wikipedia article on cadences lists rarer types and their history. These four cover nearly every phrase ending in classical, folk, hymn and pop music.
Cadence names in British English
British and many international textbooks use different names for three of the four cadences. If you study with ABRSM-style materials or older books, you will see these:
| American name | British name | Chords |
|---|---|---|
| Authentic | Perfect | V–I |
| Plagal | Plagal | IV–I |
| Half | Imperfect | ends on V |
| Deceptive | Interrupted | V–vi |
Note the trap: an "imperfect cadence" in British usage is a half cadence, while an "imperfect authentic cadence" in American usage (see below) is a weaker V–I.
Authentic cadence: V–I
An authentic cadence moves from the V chord to the I chord, and it is the strongest way to end a phrase. In C major, G (G B D) resolves to C (C E G): B rises a half step to C, and the bass falls from G to C. Adding a seventh to the V chord (G7, G B D F) makes the pull even stronger, because the F falls to E as well.
Theory books split it into two grades:
- Perfect authentic cadence (PAC): both chords in root position and the home note (C) in the top voice. The most final ending there is, used at the end of most classical pieces.
- Imperfect authentic cadence (IAC): still V–I, but with an inversion or with the third or fifth of the I chord on top. It sounds finished, just less emphatically.
In a minor key the V chord is usually major, borrowing the raised seventh: in A minor, E major (E G♯ B) to A minor. The G♯ is what gives the ending its pull.
Plagal cadence: IV–I, the "Amen" cadence
A plagal cadence moves from the IV chord to the I chord: F to C in C major. It is called the Amen cadence because hymns traditionally set the closing "A-men" to these two chords. It sounds finished but softer and warmer than V–I, since no note is pulling hard by half step to the home note.
Plagal cadences often appear right after an authentic one, as a gentle extra ending. A common variant in pop and film music is the minor plagal cadence, iv–I: F minor (F A♭ C) to C major, where the A♭ slides down to G for a bittersweet close.
Half cadence: ending on V
A half cadence is any phrase ending that stops on the V chord, so the music sounds paused rather than finished. In C major, a phrase that ends C–Am–F–G or C–Dm–G leaves you hanging on G, waiting for C. Composers use it at the end of the first half of a melody, the "question" that the next phrase answers with an authentic cadence.
In minor keys there is a special version called the Phrygian half cadence: iv in first inversion to V, for example D minor with F in the bass moving to E major in A minor. The bass falls a half step, F to E, which gives it an old, church-like sound.
Deceptive cadence: V–vi
A deceptive cadence sets up an authentic cadence with the V chord and then lands on vi instead of I: G to A minor in C major. The ear expects home and gets a minor chord that shares two notes with it (A minor is A C E; C major is C E G), so it sounds like a soft surprise rather than a wrong note.
Composers use it to extend a phrase: after the "fake" ending, the music has to try again and usually closes with a real V–I a few bars later. In minor keys the deceptive cadence is V–VI: E major to F major in A minor.
How to hear cadences by ear
To hear a cadence, listen to the last chord first and ask whether the phrase feels finished. That one question splits the four types into two pairs, and the bass line usually settles the rest.
- Finished or not? If you could stop the song there, it is authentic or plagal. If you feel the music must continue, it is half or deceptive.
- If finished: strong or soft? A firm, decisive close with the bass leaping from G down to C is authentic. A warm, rounded "Amen" with the bass moving F to C is plagal.
- If unfinished: paused or sidestepped? A bright, expectant chord that hangs in the air is a half cadence on V. A darker chord where you expected home is deceptive; the bass steps up from G to A instead of falling to C.
Hum the home note before the phrase ends. If the last chord contains it comfortably, the cadence is authentic or plagal; if it clashes, you are on V (half); if it fits but sounds sad, you are on vi (deceptive).
Cadences are one piece of hearing whole progressions; the wider method, starting from the bass line, is in how to hear chord progressions by ear, and the progressions these cadences close are listed in common chord progressions.
Quiz: name the cadence (play each in C)
- C – F – G – C
- C – Am – F – C
- C – Dm – G – Am
- C – Am – F – G
- C – F – C – G
- F – G7 – C
- C – G – Am (after a long phrase in C)
- Am – Dm – E – Am (in A minor)
Answers: 1 authentic, 2 plagal, 3 deceptive, 4 half, 5 half, 6 authentic, 7 deceptive, 8 authentic (V–i in minor).
Practice cadences in Hearmony
Hearmony's Progression Highway adventure has a unit called Phrase endings that trains exactly these four cadences. Each question plays a short phrase in a random key, I and vi followed by the two closing chords, and you choose how it ends: Finished (authentic V–I), Amen (plagal IV–I), Unfinished (half cadence, ends on V) or Surprise (deceptive V–vi). The first lessons compare only Finished and Unfinished; the other two join later, and cadence questions return in the Open road review and in Encore Arena.
Progression Highway is part of Hearmony Pro; the first adventure and the free Chord Numbers side quest, which explains what I, IV, V and vi mean, are a good place to start. For a full routine that leads up to progressions and cadences, see ear training exercises for beginners.