Questions tagged [cadence]
A melodic and/or harmonic configuration at the end of a phrase, section, or piece of music.
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Andalusian 'Cadence'?
Cadences are two chords which come, usually, at the end of phrases. There are basically four of them, although U.S. defines some in more specific ways.
The Andalusian (Spanish) 'cadence' is a well ...
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In the musical texture “monody”, can the underlying harmony be provided with a single voice?
According to these wiki pages
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monody
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophony),
in Monody, ”one solo voice sings a melodic part, usually with considerable ornamentation, ...
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Resolving scale degree 2 in v7 to 3
Are there any circumstances (at least in the common period use) where the scale degree 2 in V7 goes up to 3 as opposed going down to 1?
Why does this seem to be disallowed in textbooks, even more than ...
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Why are there no cadences for the melody scale degree 4 and 6 in tonal harmony?
A simple question yet I cant seem to find an explanation for this in either of my tonal harmony books. They all parrot each other and talk about cadences where the melody note ends on ^1 ^3 and ^5 ...
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Are all chords that follow a cadence to an expected chord a deceptive cadence?
Is there a rule for deceptive cadence that can explain all 3 examples below? One of them I am almost positive is a deceptive cadence, but I don't know about the other two.
In the first two examples I ...
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What purpose does the third measure of Bach's 'toccata and fugue in d minor' serve?
I'm looking for an explanation on the effect and reasoning of Bach's choices in the third measure of 'toccata and fugue in d minor'. I can only presume its a cadence to resolve the chord built in the ...
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What are common pop/rock cadences and metrical stresses [closed]
I'm going through Joe Mulholland & Tom HijNacki's "Berkelee Book of Jazz Harmony" Chapter 1 and I have a few questions...
I see the various plagals, half cadence, deceptives, etc...Are ...
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Identifying Period Type
I've attached a music excerpt that's been stumping me. Is the attached passage a parallel period or a contrasting period? The rhythmic repetition makes it seem parallel, but the chord progression and ...
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Csus4, Csus2, C is there a name?
I set my DAW to organ and was playing with chords. I played Csus4, Csus2, C roughly 95bpm 2 counts each. The descending (in my opinion) dissonance from sus4 to sus2 to major feels really nice. But ...
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Mazeppa: meaning of cadenza ad libitum
In Mazeppa, 4th étude of Liszt, there is cadenza ad libitum: does this mean I can compose my own cadenza, as in Mozart etc ? or that I can play those scales as many times as I want ?
In Liszt's ...
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Interpretation of Dominant IV7 chord moving to I64 -> V(7) -> I
I need your help to figure out how to interpret a Dominant IV7 chord in major moving to I64, like:
I -> IV -> IVDom7 -> I64 -> V -> I
or
I -> ii6 -> IVDom7 -> I64 -> V -&...
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VII-i cadence in a minor key
I have read many people claiming that this cadence is actually a disguised V-vi in the relative major. But as a pianist and composer I do not feel this way at all. For a concrete example, here is a ...
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Is coda the same thing as a cadence?
So a coda is "the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure" (Oxford Languages). A cadence, according to Britannica, is the ending of a ...
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Is the I-IV-viio-I progression never usable?
This question arose while studying the circle of fifths.
Along with the cadence, I learned the progressions below.
viio - iii - vi - ii - V - I
I - IV - I
I - V - I
I - IV - V - I
But if 'I - IV - V ...
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Can an evaded cadence end the antecedent of a period?
I would especially like an answer in the context of the theory of formal functions, although input from other perspectives is also welcomed.
The question arised when I was analyzing the main theme (or ...
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Seems to fit all 3 PAC criteria and yet I'm told it's a root position IAC?
So, as I have been looking for examples of the 3 different types of IAC(Imperfect Authentic Cadence), I run into this:
A cadence that looks like a PAC(Perfect Authentic Cadence) on paper, but which I'...
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How to avoid Battuta in this case of first species counterpoint
In this exercise on first species counterpoint, the top melody is the cantus firmus and the bottom one my counterpoint.
I am not a musician and just learned the rules. This is the second exercise from ...
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Is this phrase ending a half cadence, imperfect authentic cadence, or neither?
I'm working on this for a music theory class. By my analysis:
Song is in key of A major
The chord for measure three uses the 4th scale degree, or IV
The chord for measure four is the tonic, or I
I'...
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Is this diminished II7 or VII in harmonic minor?
I am having some problems analyzing the chords in the 2nd and 4th bars in this example in A minor (harmonic). The song is from the soundtrack of Nier Automata (Grandma - Destruction).
For my ...
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What is the function of this diminished 7th chord in KV 332? [duplicate]
Consider the following cadence from the 3rd movement of Mozart's piano sonata KV 332:
What is the function of the diminished 7th chord B D F Ab?
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Name for second last note before resolution?
If I have a phrase and there is no chords, just single tones.
The phrase ends on the tonic.
Is there a term for the second last note if its always +/- 1 step (in the scale) away from tonic?
Can I call ...
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What is an imperfect authentic cadence? What are the requirements to make this?
I don't really fully understand what an imperfect authentic cadence is. I was told that if the chords are inverted, then it's considered an IAC. Or maybe the melody can be 4–3, etc. I just need an ...
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Is a phrygian cadence iv6 - V or can it also be VI - V?
I have always thought that a phrygian cadence was VI - V but I now read that it is actually iv6 - V. Can both be used?
user35708
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What are some useful resources for modal study? [closed]
I'm looking for some useful historical references for modal study. Specifically, great books or texts on how modes evolved, progressed and became the elusive subject they are today.
What resources ...
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Were Plagal Cadences always used with an Authentic Cadence preceding it?
In typical 19th-century harmony, was a Plagal Cadence always used with an Authentic Cadence preceding it? To put it another way, was it typically ever used out of its "Amen" context?
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Do accidentals apply to notes in the same measure but in different octaves? [duplicate]
In a work by Leonarda (1693) I find that there are octave leaps at a cadence with an accidental sharp on the first note but no explicit accidental on the lower note. Surely the lower note should also ...
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Why does this website include ii-I as a plagal cadence?
Has ii-I ever been a plagal cadence or is this site incorrect?
https://www.simplifyingtheory.com/perfect-imperfect-plagal-deceptive-half-cadence/
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Why does an imperfect cadence not include IV-I?
I am learning that an imperfect cadence only involves inverted chords with the V-I. Why is IV not included? Should an 'imperfect' plagal cadence be avoided?
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Why is there no name for the ii-I cadence (Only the V-I and IV-I)?
Is the ii-I cadence considered bad practice since it doesn't have enough movement or resolution? Example - the chord progression (I-vi-IV-ii) (I-vi-IV-I)
There is no name for cadences other than V-I ...
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Can a cadence happen only at the end of a measure?
In this chord progression, | I vi IV V | I vi IV V | I |, there seems to be a perfect cadence that occurs at the end of one chord progression/measure (V) and the beginning of the next chord ...
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What are the cadences in minor keys?
There are four basic cadences - perfect, plagal, imperfect and interrupted - in U.K. terms. In major keys, they are, simply put, V>I, IV>I, I>V, and V>vi (often) respectively.
I'm looking ...
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Help identifying cadences and modes in iidim7 - i - vidim - vsus4
I'm a beginner when it comes to modes and cadences, and I want to understand them better to improve my song-writing as a metal guitarist. While fiddling with my guitar today, I "wrote" this ...
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2 atypical cadences, are they half cadences?
So, I analyzed the harmony and structure of Grande Valse Brilliante op. 18, and most of the cadences make perfect sense to me, but there are 2 cadences that don't really, one on the tonic, which I can ...
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Can someone explain the resolutions in Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# Minor?
I started to learn the Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# Minor (Op. 3 No. 2). Until recently I have had not much experience with music theory, except for the very basic things.
In order to remember the piece ...
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Chromatic approaching dominant
I'm having a little trouble analyzing this blues-y cadence.
I've called the dominant chord a G9 even though there is no third (B) at the end of the bar. I think this makes sense, since it is ...
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What is the significance of learning ''cadences" in music composition?
What is the significance in understanding this concept if I wanted to write music?
If I understood cadences, then would that mean I would be able to structure my compositions?
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Help with the last chord in progression
I have following progression:
G-Em-Bm-C
G-Em-Bm-C
G-Bm-F#m-A
D-Bm-F#m-???
G-Em-Bm-C...
I am happy with the progression and it works well, but struggling with the last chord.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
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Why does the V-I cadence sound tonal rather than modal?
I have heard that the V-I cadence is to be avoided when playing chant accompaniment: e.g., Gregorian chant.
It seems to me that the leading tone going to the tonic makes it sound like a tonal cadence ...
user20754
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How is Db major functioning here? Subdominant Prolongation? Some kind of Dominant?
While improvising for a piece in Eb major, I came across an interesting progression. Eb -> Ab -> Db -> Eb But something that I couldn't figure out was the function of the Db. Here is the ...
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Soprano melody in PAC
When it comes to part-writing in a V7-I cadence, I understand that the leading tone in an outer voice must resolve to the tonic (^7->^1) and that the chordal 7th of the V7 (^4) should resolve down by ...
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Dorian mode cadences
From this question I read that modal cadences are different from tonic cadences.
I'm trying to learn Dorian mode and I noted that in the answer they offer the suggestion of the second chord, first ...
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Going from ♭VI to I
I have seen and heard a bVI -> I progression in quite a few scores to create an inspiring feeling (for example, from an F major chord to an A major chord) and was wondering how this could be ...
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Why does Bach sometimes end with flat 7ths?
I've been studying the Bach inventions, and I see a common patterns in the first 3 inventions: They tend to include the flat 7ths in the very end. Examples:
C major:
D major:
E♭ major:
From a ...
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Backdoor cadences - what would be the ♭VII chord in A major?
So I'm currently learning about using resolution in guitar chord progressions, and so far I have learned about tension chords which is usually, but not limited to, the fifth chord in the scale that ...
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How do I write a cadence without any context?
I am studying for my online RCM theory exam, and since I have no contact with my piano teacher I’ve been correcting with the answer book. My answers and the answers in the book are very different. I ...
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Have I identified my cadences correctly?
I am having so much trouble with cadence identification. After hours of Youtube video explanations I think that I have this correctly. Have I? How can I make this process easier?
a. Perfect
b. ...
user67120
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How is a clausula tertiaria/medians distinguished from a modulation to the relative major?
How is a clausula tertiaria/medians distinguished from a modulation to the relative major?
Clausula tertiaria came up in the answer to one of my earlier questions.
Some of the definitions I have ...
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Roman Numerals and VII#
The following is an excerpt from this Wikipedia article:
[The Lydian cadence] is so-called because it evokes the Lydian mode
based on its final chord as a tonic, and may be construed with the
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In a minor key can a cadence on the relative major be considered a type of quasi half cadence?
My question is not: what is the textbook definition of a half cadence?
What I am trying to get at is the perception of an incomplete, sort of antecedent phrase ending.
When playing the following ...
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Diminished seventh cadence, is this an IAC or a PAC?
I have seen a few cadences where the only dominant function chord used cadentially is a diminished seventh, mainly resolving to root position tonic, though I have seen a few resolve to an inverted ...
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