A song doesn't end when the lyric ends — it ends when the harmony agrees to stop. That agreement is a cadence, and there are only four kinds: a full stop, an amen, a rug pull, and a question mark.
In ~6 minutes you'll be able to:
- Hear which of the four cadences a phrase ends on
- Play all four with chords you already know
- Choose the ending you mean instead of the one your fingers found
You'll need: the I, IV, V, and vi chords in one key — skim chord progressions if those numerals feel new.
A cadence is two chords at the end of a line
The closing chord is almost always the I or the V. The chord before it is the flavor.
Everything below is in C major, with chords you already know. The cadence is what they do when they meet at the end of a phrase.
The full stop — V → I (authentic)
Inside that G7 is a B, one half step below home. It wants to be a C so badly it hurts.
When it lands, the listener feels finished without being told why. The 7 adds a second pull (F falling to E), which is why G7 → C closes harder than plain G → C.
Hey Jude — "make it better" snaps V7 → I.
Feels: finished. Settled. Done.
Use when: you mean the end — last chorus, final line. If you want the audience to know they can clap, this is the cadence that tells them.
The amen — IV → I (plagal)
No leading tone this time — F already shares a C with home, so the motion settles instead of resolves. Where the authentic cadence is a door slamming, the plagal cadence is a door easing closed.
It's the "amen" at the end of every hymn: two syllables, two chords.
Let It Be — devotional, not declarative.
Feels: gentle. Warm. A little nostalgic.
Use when: you want resolution without interruption — verse endings that protect the mood, outros that fade rather than stop.
The rug pull — V → vi (deceptive)
You set up V → I. Everyone — audience, performer, your own muscle memory — expects C. You hand them Am instead, and the phrase keeps going when it was supposed to end.
The trick works because Am shares two notes with C. The listener almost lands — just somewhere wistful instead of somewhere settled.
Hallelujah — "the minor fall" is this exact move.
Feels: withheld. Surprised. Hooked.
Use when: the phrase should turn a corner instead of stopping — verses that bleed into choruses, bridges that keep climbing.
The question mark — anything → V (half)
A half cadence ends on the V instead of resolving away from it. The G wants to be a C. The music walks away first.
The Star-Spangled Banner — "the rockets' red glare" hangs on V.
The line is dramatic because it's suspended; the next phrase finally answers it. Resolve too early and the tension dies.
Feels: unanswered. Open. Leaning forward.
Use when: this phrase needs the next one — verse ends that set up the chorus, the question half of a question-and-answer.
Four moves, four feelings
Loop these back to back and the labels turn into sounds.
| Cadence | Motion | Try it in C | Feels | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authentic | V → I | G7 → C | Finished, settled | Endings that mean it |
| Plagal | IV → I | F → C | Gentle, warm | Soft landings, outros |
| Deceptive | V → vi | G → Am | Surprised, hooked | Phrases that turn a corner |
| Half | ends on V | C → G | Open, unanswered | Questions before answers |
Going deeper: cadences are where functional harmony does its job — resolution is the whole point of tonic and dominant. And how hard one lands is a voice leading question: where the resolving notes sit in the voicing.
Try this: write eight bars — end the first four on a half cadence, the second four on an authentic one. Question, then answer: the shape of half the melodies in the Western canon. Then pick a song you love and name the cadence at the end of every line, asking what the listener should feel when it stops.
What's the difference between a perfect and an authentic cadence?
Both are V → I. 'Perfect' means maximum finality: root-position chords, the melody landing on the tonic, often a V7 so two tensions resolve at once. Loosen any of that and it's still authentic — just softer.
Why is the plagal cadence called the 'amen' cadence?
Traditional hymns end with a sung 'amen' over IV → I — two syllables, two chords. Centuries of church endings glued the sound to the word. Play F → C and you'll hear it.
Can a song end on IV, or anything other than I?
Nothing is illegal. Songs end on IV or V all the time to leave the door open — it just won't feel finished, and the listener keeps waiting for home. That unresolved ache is a choice, and plenty of great songs make it on purpose.
Phrases end. Cadences are how you choose what kind of ending they get.