Standard harmonic formulas that conclude musical phrases and express relationships between chords.
Full cadence catalog. Pick a root, type, style or difficulty.
Strongest harmonic resolution V⁷→I
Basic dominant-to-tonic movement V→I
Soft IV→I resolution, the church "Amen"
Dominant resolves to vi instead of I — surprise effect
Pause on the dominant — a sense of incompleteness
Minor iv→V motion, flamenco and baroque flavor
Fundamental jazz cadence ii→V→I
Minor ii-V-i variant, more tense and darker
Classic turnaround along the circle of fifths
Starting on vi — minor feel within major harmony
The most popular progression in pop music
Minor cadence iv→V→i from harmonic minor
Descending i→bVII→bVI→V, flamenco sound
Modal rock cadence with borrowed bVII
Minor rock cadence bVI→bVII→i, heavy sound
Blues formula built on dominant seventh chords
Hypnotic modal progression without resolution
Extended turnaround along the circle of fifths
Replacing V⁷ with bII⁷ — chromatic resolution
Resolution via bVII⁷ instead of V⁷ — the back door
Jazz turnaround with seventh chords
Dominant chain: V/V→V→I intensifies resolution
A cadence is a harmonic progression that creates a sense of conclusion, transition, or unexpected turn in music. The word comes from Latin cadere— “to fall.” This sensation of falling or resolving tension is at the heart of every cadence.
In functional harmony, chords have different functions: tonic (I) — rest, dominant (V) — tension, subdominant (IV) — in-between state. A cadence shows how these functions transition into each other. The most common: V-I — the dominant resolves to the tonic.
Types of cadences:authentic (V-I, most “final”), plagal (IV-I, soft, “prayerful”), deceptive (V-vi, unexpected twist), half cadence (I-V, “question”). In jazz and rock — own types: ii-V-I, Andalusian, blues turnaround.
How is a cadence different from a progression?A progression is any sequence of chords. A cadence is a functional formula with specific meaning: to conclude, to pose a question, to defy expectation. A cadence is the “punctuation” of music.