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Plagal Cadence, Half Cadence, Plagal Half Cadence, Deceptive Cadence
Other cadence types include:
- Plagal cadence, IV – I (subdominant to tonic chord), so named for the “amen” sung at the conclusion of a hymn, but used in all kinds of classical and popular music.
- Half cadence (or imperfect cadence) such as I – V and II – V.
- Plagal half cadence, I – IV, a rarely used weak half cadence (e. g. end of the first 4-bar phrase of "Auld Lang Syne," and end of third 2-bar phrase of "Happy Birthday").
- Deceptive cadences such as V – VIm and V – IV. They’re called deceptive (or interrupted or false) because your brain expects to hear V – I (dominant to tonic chord) but gets “deceived,” and hears V – VIm, or V – IV or some other such non-final-ending, instead. This prolongs and heightens the expectation of eventually getting to the tonic chord.
When a phrase ends with a half cadence or deceptive cadence, your brain knows it ain’t the end yet, and fully expects the music to continue to a more “final-sounding” resolution..
But V – I is the only cadence in music in which directed tension gets completely resolved.