The Interrupted Cadence - Music Theory
TLDRThe video explains the interrupted musical cadence, comparing it to a question mark that slightly surprises the listener. The interrupted cadence involves a chord progression of chord V followed by chord VI, which doesn't resolve like the perfect or plagal cadences. This leaves the music unresolved, requiring another phrase to complete the musical idea. Composers can use cadences like musical punctuation. Performers analyze pieces to understand the flow, interpreting phrases ending with imperfect or interrupted cadences differently. Listeners feel musical tension and release based on the cadence types used.
Takeaways
- 😀 The interrupted cadence is like a musical question mark, bringing you up for air but taking you by surprise
- 👂 It consists of chord V followed by chord VI in a key, e.g. G major followed by A minor in C major
- 🎹 You can voice the chords in different ways, as long as you use the right notes
- ❓ It leaves you hanging, needing another phrase to resolve back home
- 🔁 It provides contrast to perfect/plagal cadences which sound conclusive
- 🤔 It allows a composition to come up for musical breath between phrases
- 🎵 Performers can identify interrupted cadences when analyzing pieces
- 📝 Composers can plan balances of different cadence types in their works
- 👍 Perfect/plagal cadences often follow interrupted cadences to resolve
- 🎓 Understanding cadences helps performers interpret and composers structure pieces
Q & A
What are the four most commonly used cadences?
-The four most commonly used cadences are the perfect cadence, the plagal cadence, the imperfect cadence, and the interrupted cadence.
How does the perfect cadence make the music feel?
-The perfect cadence makes the music feel like it has come to the end of something, like a musical full stop or home base.
What chord progression makes up an interrupted cadence?
-An interrupted cadence consists of chord V followed by chord VI in the key.
Why is an interrupted cadence described as a musical question mark?
-The interrupted cadence brings the music up for air at the end of a phrase but also slightly takes the listener by surprise, similar to the effect a question mark has at the end of a sentence.
How can an interrupted cadence chord be played?
-The interrupted cadence uses chord V and chord VI, which can be played as triads or with the notes spread out in different formations, as long as the right notes are used.
What usually comes after an interrupted cadence in a piece of music?
-After an interrupted cadence, the music usually continues into another phrase that resolves with a perfect or plagal cadence to bring the listener back to the home key.
How can understanding cadences help performers?
-As a performer, understanding cadences can help phrase music appropriately and bring out the impact of different cadences effectively.
How can composers utilize different cadences?
-Composers can plan pieces to have a balance of cadences, with imperfect/interrupted cadences followed by perfect/plagal cadences to resolve phrases.
What are the notes used to build chord V and chord VI in the key of C major?
-In the key of C major, chord V is a G chord built from the notes G, B, and D. Chord VI is an A minor chord built from A, C, and E.
Where else can we find interrupted cadences besides Western classical music?
-Interrupted cadences can be found in many different musical styles besides classical, like jazz and popular music.
Outlines
😃 Introducing the Interrupted Cadence
The interrupted cadence is like a musical question mark that brings you up for air at the end of a musical phrase, often taking you slightly by surprise. It consists of chord V followed by chord VI in the key. For example, in C major it would be a G chord followed by an A minor chord. It doesn't provide resolution like the perfect and plagal cadences, but leads you to expect more music to follow that eventually resolves.
😊 Using Interrupted Cadences Effectively
When using interrupted cadences in compositions, balance them out by having a perfect or plagal cadence at the end of the next phrase to resolve the tension. As a performer or listener, being aware of interrupted cadences provides insight into the musical structure and phrasing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡cadence
💡perfect cadence
💡plagal cadence
💡imperfect cadence
💡interrupted cadence
💡chord
💡chord progression
💡tonic
💡dominant
💡chord VI
Highlights
The interrupted cadence is like a musical question mark that slightly takes you by surprise.
The perfect and plagal cadences are like musical full stops that make you feel you've reached the end.
The imperfect cadence is like a musical comma, leaving you wanting the music to continue.
Chord V followed by chord VI creates an interrupted cadence in a given key.
You can voice the chords in an interrupted cadence many different ways while using the right notes.
An interrupted cadence brings the music up for a breath but doesn't resolve like a perfect cadence.
Identify cadences when analyzing music to see the punctuation-like patterns.
Plan musical phrases to balance different cadence types like full stops and question marks.
Chord progressions outline musical sentences and paragraphs like punctuation.
Performers should understand cadences to interpret the musical narrative and shaping.
Composers can intentionally plan cadences to guide the listener's musical journey.
The interrupted cadence interrupts the flow before another phrase resolves it.
Cadences act like punctuation, shaping musical phrases into meaningful expressions.
Knowing the four main cadence types helps analyze and shape musical narratives.
Hearing cadences as punctuation provides understanding for composers and performers.
Transcripts
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