All concepts
What is cadence?
A chord progression that closes a musical phrase — harmony's punctuation. Some cadences sound final, coming to rest on the home chord; others leave you hanging, wanting more.
A cadence is the pair or short run of chords that ends a phrase, the way a comma or full stop ends a clause. An authentic cadence (V–I) lands on the and sounds conclusive; a half cadence stops on the and feels unfinished, pulling you onward. In a the last two bars are a turnaround — a cadence that refuses to fully settle, tipping you back to the top for the next chorus.
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