Hear the path
to the arrival.
Identify how a phrase ends by listening to its full three- or four-chord progression, not just the final two chords.
Listen to the progression.
Hear what happened
What tells you it’s over?
Authentic cadences
V or V7 moves to I (or i). A perfect authentic cadence ends with both chords in root position and the soprano on tonic. If the soprano ends on the third, it is imperfect authentic.
Half cadence
The phrase ends on V. It feels open, as if the music is waiting for an answer.
Plagal cadence
IV–I in major, or iv–i in minor. Listen for the subdominant moving to tonic.
Deceptive cadence
V does not go to the expected tonic. In major it often moves to vi; in minor, to VI.
Advanced and expert choices distinguish perfect authentic from imperfect authentic. The progression may include one or two chords before the cadence.