Musical cadence — Music, 11–13 years
How a sequence of notes or chords creates a feeling of pause, arrival or continuation. Music, 11–13 years.
Idea
A cadence is a musical ending or pause that tells your ear what kind of moment has arrived. Some cadences feel finished, while others sound as if the music is asking to continue.
Why
A listener needs clues about whether a musical sentence is complete or unfinished. Cadences solve this problem by using the tension between notes or chords, much like punctuation shows whether a written sentence ends or carries on.
Worked example
In C major, play the chords F, G, then C. F feels like a move away, G creates tension, and C feels like arrival. Now stop on G instead: the same first two chords make the ending feel open, as if another chord should follow.
Common trap
It is tempting to say that every last chord is a cadence. That is understandable because cadences often occur at endings, but a final chord alone does not create the feeling: the notes or chords leading into it matter too.
Outside school
Songwriters use cadences to decide where a verse should rest, where a chorus should burst in, or whether a line should feel like a question. You can hear this when a singer pauses before the next lyric or when a song ends firmly.
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