Cadences in music: perfect, plagal, half and deceptive

A cadence is the pair of chords that ends a musical phrase, and it works like punctuation. There are four main types. The perfect (authentic) cadence goes from V to I, G to C in the key of C: a period, the phrase is over. The plagal cadence goes from IV to I, F to C: a softer close, the “Amen” at the end of a hymn. The half cadence stops on V, for example Dm to G: a comma or a question mark that asks for more. The deceptive cadence sets up the ending and swerves, V to vi, G to Am. Songwriters use them to decide whether a section closes or pulls into the next one, and modern pop often closes with IV–I or ♭VII–I instead of V–I.

Below: every cadence ready to loop in C and G in the free chord progression player, three audio examples, the endings pop prefers, one chorus rewritten with four endings and a 10-minute exercise.

The four cadences at a glance

Roman numerals name a chord by its place in the key: I is home, IV and V are the chords built on the fourth and fifth notes, and lowercase means minor. If numerals are new to you, the chord progressions guide explains them in two minutes.

Cadence	Numerals	In C	In G	What it sounds like
Perfect (authentic)	V–I or V7–I	G–C	D–G	Full stop. The phrase is done
Plagal	IV–I	F–C	C–G	A softer, warmer close: “Amen”
Half	any chord to V	Dm–G, F–G	Am–D, C–D	A comma or a question: there’s more
Deceptive	V–vi	G–Am	D–Em	The ending you expected, dodged

A chord change only becomes a cadence where a phrase ends: G to C in the middle of a line is just a change, while G to C on the last word of the chorus is a cadence. British books call the half cadence “imperfect” and the deceptive one “interrupted”.

The perfect cadence (V–I): the full stop

V pulls to I because it contains the leading tone, the note one half step below home: B in the key of C, F♯ in the key of G. The ear wants it to rise that last half step. Add a seventh (G7 instead of G) and a second note joins in: the F of G7 falls to the E of C. Two notes resolving at once is why V7–I sounds so final.

Loop it in both keys: C–F–G7–C in C and G–C–D7–G in G. Each pass sounds complete; the loop only restarts because the player repeats it.

The melody matters too. The strongest version has both chords with their root in the bass and the melody landing on the home note (C over the C chord). If the melody ends on E or G instead, the chords still close but the phrase sounds a little open. Use that: end an early chorus with the melody on E and save the C for the final chorus.

What to listen for: after the one-bar count-in, Dm7 enters around 0:03 and G7 around 0:06. That G7 is the tension, and the Cmaj7 around 0:09 is the release, held for two bars so it can settle. The second pass repeats the move, with G7 around 0:17 and Cmaj7 from about 0:20. It’s the perfect cadence in seventh chords, the way jazz and soul often end a phrase. If m7, 7 and maj7 still blur together, the guide to types of chords compares them one by one.

In a minor key the perfect cadence needs a fix. The natural v of A minor is Em, which has no leading tone, so Em–Am sounds soft and folky. Raise G to G♯ and you get E major, which pulls hard to A. Compare them in one loop: Am–Dm–Em–Am, then Am–Dm–E–Am. That’s why minor-key songs so often use E or E7 right before home.

The plagal cadence (IV–I): the soft close

The plagal cadence skips the V and goes straight from IV to I: F to C in C, C to G in G. There’s no leading tone, so it sounds warmer and less final. It’s often called the Amen cadence because hymns set their closing “Amen” to it, and gospel, rock and folk use it all the time.

Hear it in C–G–F–C, where the V steps down to IV before home, a move blues and rock bands use as a turnaround, and in G–Em–C–G, which lands like someone setting a guitar down gently.

Rock leans on it heavily. In a 2011 study of 200 songs from Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest songs, music theorist David Temperley found V–I cadences at the end of sections in 32% of the songs and IV–I cadences in 18.5%. V–I still wins, but IV–I is a strong second.

Make the IV minor and the plagal cadence turns bittersweet. This is the minor plagal cadence, iv–I, borrowed from the parallel minor key.

What to listen for: after the count-in (0:00–0:03), C and F sound open. Around 0:09 the F turns into Fm, only one note drops (A to A♭), and the light dims. Around 0:13 the C arrives and sounds like coming home after bad news. The second pass brings Fm again around 0:22 and C around 0:25. To try the same move in G, loop G–C–Cm–G.

The half cadence (ending on V): how to leave a verse open

A half cadence is any phrase that stops on V. The ear was promised home and doesn’t get it yet, so the music leans forward: exactly what you want at the end of a verse or a pre-chorus.

Loop C–Am–Dm–G in C and G–C–G–D in G. On the last pass the player stops on V and the phrase is left hanging.

What to listen for: the count-in runs to about 0:03, then Am, Dm and Am again. Around 0:14 the E major arrives: that’s the half cadence, and at 0:17 the loop answers it by going back to Am. The second E arrives around 0:27, and this time nothing answers it. The example ends on E and you’re left waiting for an Am that never comes.

Three ways to use it:

• End the verse on V, start the chorus on I. It’s the strongest harmonic lift a song has; the chorus guide pairs it with a melody that climbs.
• Stretch the V with a sus4. C–F–Gsus4–G holds the tension a bar longer. A pre-chorus that ends like this almost forces the chorus in.
• Ask, then answer. End the first half of a chorus on V and the second half on I: C–Am–F–G, then C–Am–G–C.

The deceptive cadence (V–vi): the swerve

The deceptive cadence builds the tension of a perfect cadence and lands somewhere else, usually on vi: G to Am in C, D to Em in G. Since vi shares two notes with I (Am has the C and E of C major), it sounds like a sadder relative of home, not a wrong turn.

Loop C–F–G–Am and G–C–D–Em and feel the floor move under the last chord.

Two jobs it does well:

• Stretch the end of a chorus. Sing the last line over V–vi, repeat it, and close the second time with V–I: F–G–Am–Am, then F–G–C–C.
• Make a twist sound like one. For a bigger surprise, land on ♭VI: C–F–G–A♭ sounds like a film cutting to another scene.

Cadences in modern pop: IV–I, ♭VII–I and loops

Pop and rock added cadences of their own. Most reach I without the leading tone, so they sound open and confident rather than formal.

Ending	In C	In G	Feel
IV–I	F–C	C–G	Warm, open. Rock, gospel, folk
iv–I	Fm–C	Cm–G	Bittersweet, nostalgic
♭VII–I	B♭–C	F–G	Anthemic, a little defiant
♭VI–♭VII–I	A♭–B♭–C	E♭–F–G	Triumphant, a fanfare
V–IV–I	G–F–C	D–C–G	Blues and rock turnaround

♭VII–I swaps the V for a major chord a whole step below home, borrowed from the minor or Mixolydian side of the key. Loop C–F–B♭–C and G–C–F–G: the ending lands, but with a shrug instead of a bow. Put ♭VI in front and you get C–A♭–B♭–C, nicknamed the Mario cadence after the Super Mario Bros. fanfare. The modes guide explains where ♭VII comes from.

Many current songs ride a four-chord loop such as I–V–vi–IV, the one suggested in how to write a pop song, and that loop never cadences: it just turns. Then the ending is yours to design. Fade out, stop the band on IV and let the voice carry into I, or break the loop on the last chorus with a real V–I. That choice is part of finishing a song, not a detail for the mix.

Which cadence goes where in a song

Section	Common ending	Why
Verse	Half cadence (on V), or on IV or vi	Keeps the door open into the next section
Pre-chorus	V or Vsus4	Maximum pull toward the chorus
Chorus, early	V–I with the melody on the third, half or deceptive	Sounds finished enough, but promises a return
Last chorus	Perfect (V–I) or plagal (IV–I)	The real ending, with the melody on the home note
Outro or tag	Deceptive, then perfect	Repeat the last line and close on the second pass

For a clean ending, hold the I chord a bar or two and sing the last note on the home note; end on the third for a warmer, softer one. Check which note you actually sing with the note finder.

One chorus, four endings: a worked example in G

Here’s an original chorus. The first two lines sit over G–D–Em–C (I–V–vi–IV). The last two lines, the ones that end the chorus, are where the cadence goes.

Six hundred miles and a radio,
a gas-station coffee, the highway glow,
the exit sign, the porch, the door,
and I'm not leaving anymore

1. Perfect: G–C–D–G. The promise lands. “Anymore” falls on G and the story is over. Loop it.
2. Half: G–Em–C–D. Change the last line to a question, “so what am I still waiting for?”, and end on D. The chorus now asks something, which is ideal for a first chorus that drops straight into verse two. Loop it.
3. Deceptive: G–C–D–Em, then C–D–G. Sing “but no one’s living here anymore” over the Em: the chord drops just as the lyric reveals the empty house. Repeat the last line and close on G. Loop it.
4. ♭VII–I: G–C–F–G. Same words as version 1, more attitude. The F major makes the homecoming sound like a decision, not relief. Loop it.

None is right on paper. The right cadence tells the same story as the last line: a statement wants a perfect or plagal close, a question a half cadence, a twist a deceptive one.

A 10-minute exercise: rewrite the end of your chorus

1. Minutes 0–2, find the ending. Take a chorus you’ve written, or the one above, and write down its key and the chords of its last two bars. The circle of fifths shows the I, IV and V of any key.
2. Minutes 2–5, try four cadences. Enter your chorus in the chord player and swap only the last two chords: V–I, IV–I, something–V and V–vi. Loop each twice.
3. Minutes 5–8, match the words. Sing the last line over each ending and change a word or two where the meaning doesn’t fit: a statement over V–I, a question over V, a twist over vi.
4. Minutes 8–10, record and check. Record your two favorite versions on your phone. On the V–I one, hold the last note in the note finder: if it isn’t the home note, the ending will sound less final than the chords promise.

Common mistakes with cadences

• Closing every section with V–I. If every section ends with a full stop, the song keeps stopping. Save the strongest close for the chorus.
• Letting the melody float over V–I. The chords say “the end”, the melody stops on the second note of the scale, and the ear believes the melody.
• Forgetting that loops don’t end. A four-chord loop needs a designed ending: a stop, a IV–I or a V–I on the last pass.

Where Zoundroom fits: every ending you tried, under the lyric

Zoundroom doesn’t play chords, name cadences or analyze your recordings, and it isn’t a DAW, so there’s no mixing, effects or multitrack; the chord player and the note finder do the listening part in your browser. Where it helps is keeping that decision with the song. Each song is a project with its recordings, lyrics, notes and files, so open a note in your chorus’s project, write the four endings under the lyric (G–C–D–G, G–Em–C–D and so on), paste the chord player links, and record each sung version right inside the note with the app on your phone: the take is inserted at the cursor, under the ending it belongs to. Next week, on iOS, Android or the web, you can play them back one after another and still know which cadence went with which last line. If the words are what’s stuck, Auralis, the app’s assistant, can suggest alternative last lines or chord endings as text, never audio. Your next step: create a note called “Chorus endings” in your song’s project and record your two favorite versions before you choose one.

Frequently asked questions

What is a cadence in music?

The chord move that ends a phrase, a section or a whole piece. Like punctuation, some cadences sound like a period (V–I) and some like a comma or a question mark (ending on V).

What are the four types of cadences?

Perfect or authentic (V–I), plagal (IV–I), half (any chord to V) and deceptive or interrupted (V to a chord other than I, usually vi). The first two close a phrase; the other two keep it open.

What’s the difference between a perfect and an imperfect cadence?

It depends on the book. In British terms, a perfect cadence is V–I and an imperfect cadence ends on V (the American half cadence). In American terms, a perfect authentic cadence is V–I with both roots in the bass and the melody on the home note; an imperfect authentic cadence misses one of those conditions.

What chord should a song end on?

Usually on I, reached by V–I or IV–I, with the melody on the home note for the most final sound. A song can also end open, on IV or V, or fade out on a loop, when the lyric leaves the story unresolved.

Is V–I or IV–I better for ending a chorus?

V–I sounds more decisive and suits pop and ballads built on tension and release. IV–I sounds warmer and suits rock, gospel and folk. Loop both under your last line and keep the one that says what the words say.

Sources

All pages checked on September 28, 2026.

• Wikipedia, “Cadence”: definition as the end of a phrase with full or partial resolution; perfect and imperfect authentic cadence conditions; half cadence; plagal and Amen cadence; deceptive cadence V–vi; British and American names. wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia, “Plagal cadence”: IV–I, the Amen cadence in hymns, softer than the authentic cadence; the minor plagal cadence iv–I and its bittersweet sound; IV as the most common chord before the tonic in rock. wikipedia.org
• David Temperley, “The Cadential IV in Rock”, Music Theory Online 17.1 (April 2011): of 200 songs from Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest songs, 32% have V–I sectional cadences and 18.5% have plagal ones; the plagal stop cadence. mtosmt.org
• Wikipedia, “Borrowed chord”: the ♭VII–I cadence substituting for V is common; ♭III, ♭VI and ♭VII major triads are common in popular music; the minor iv in a major key. wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia, “Backdoor progression”: iv7–♭VII7–I as an alternative to ii–V–I; ♭VI–♭VII–I known as the Mario cadence from Super Mario Bros. wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia, “V–IV–I turnaround”: a cadential pattern of the twelve-bar blues, common in rock and roll. wikipedia.org