Year 10 Music · Making Music — Compose and Perform · 11m read

Harmony — Chord Progressions and Cadences

Harmony makes music move and land. Cadences are musical punctuation — learning them helps you write and analyse like a VCE musician.

Learning objective: Use chord progressions, inversions and cadences in composition.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can write common progressions.
• I can identify perfect, imperfect, plagal and interrupted cadences.
• I can use inversions for smooth voice leading.

Chord progressions are journeys. Chord I is home. IV is a walk to the park, V is the moment you turn back towards home, and the cadence is opening your front door. Some journeys end at home (perfect cadence); some stop at the gate (imperfect); some take a surprise detour (interrupted).

Harmony — Chord Progressions and Cadences

COMMON PROGRESSIONS:
• I–V–vi–IV (the "pop" progression).
• ii–V–I (jazz).

CADENCES:
• PERFECT (V–I) — final, like a full stop.
• IMPERFECT (ends on V) — unfinished, like a comma.
• PLAGAL (IV–I) — "Amen" cadence.
• INTERRUPTED (V–vi) — surprise.

INVERSIONS:
• Rearranging chord notes so the bass isn't the root; smoother movement between chords.

| Cadence | Chords | Sounds like | Punctuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect | V → I | Finished | Full stop. |
| Plagal | IV → I | Gentle "Amen" | Soft full stop. |
| Imperfect | ? → V | Unfinished | Comma, |
| Interrupted | V → vi | Surprise | Dash — |

Key ideas at a glance

• Roman numerals travel: I–V–vi–IV works in any key.
• Cadences shape phrases: Imperfect mid-song, perfect at the end.
• Inversions smooth bass lines: Move the bass by step.
• Use the dominant 7th: V7 strengthens the pull to I.

Worked example (Medium)

A phrase ends G → C in C major. Name the cadence.

1. Chords. V → I.
2. Cadence. Perfect.

Answer: Perfect cadence.

Worked example (Hard)

Write I–V–vi–IV in G major and add a perfect cadence ending.

1. Progression. G – D – Em – C.
2. Ending. D(7) → G.
3. Result. G D Em C | G D7 G.

Answer: G – D – Em – C, ending D7 → G.

Common mistakes

• Confusing plagal and perfect Plagal is IV–I; perfect is V–I. Fix: Check the chord before I.
• Ending every phrase with a perfect cadence Music feels over too often. Fix: Use imperfect cadences mid-song.

The four-chord song

A huge number of pop hits use the same four chords, I–V–vi–IV, sometimes rotated (vi–IV–I–V).

Comedy group Axis of Awesome famously medleyed dozens of hits over these chords. The lesson: harmony alone doesn't make a song unique — melody, rhythm, lyrics and production do.

Practice questions

1. A phrase ending on chord V is a(n):

   1. Perfect cadence
   2. Imperfect cadence
   3. Plagal cadence
   4. Interrupted cadence

   (1 marks)

2. Name the chords in I–V–vi–IV in C major.

   (2 marks)

3. Which cadence is IV → I?

   1. Perfect
   2. Plagal
   3. Imperfect
   4. Interrupted

   (1 marks)

4. V → vi is a(n):

   1. Perfect cadence
   2. Interrupted cadence
   3. Plagal cadence
   4. Modulation

   (1 marks)

5. Write I–V–vi–IV in D major.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Common progressions.
• Four cadence types.
• Inversions smooth voice leading.
• Cadences are musical punctuation.