[Nem]

is there a list somewhere of cadences, when theyre used, what they sound like, why theyre used?

i know the basic ones like plagal, deceptive, authentic etc but when i try to write a song i always think "which chord should i go to" and im thinking if i had more of an understanding of cadences then itd be easier to write stuff

[Fretsource]

Cadences are like punctuation in music. They mark the ends of musical phrases and verses, etc in different ways. The Authentic Cadence gives a strong feeling of finality and comes at the end of most songs. So does the much rarer and softer plagal cadence, which is also known as the 'Amen Cadence' because of its familiar use when sung by Christian congregations and choirs e.g., A----MEN (F----C).

The deceptive cadence (e.g. G to A minor in the key of C) is so called because the music has deceived us into thinking that we're about to go from G to the home chord of C but instead we're led to a different chord that we weren't expecting in a kind of 'pleasant surprise'.

Here's a list of some more obscure ones and how they're used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadence_%28music%29

[USGold]

I always used the term resolution for that last chord that ends a portion or finale of the song?

[Nem]

ah i thought there were more cadences than that, but thanks anyway

and yeah a piece can resolve if it goes back to the root, sounds kinda homely, and ive always used an authentic cadence for that, but a plagal cadence works as well

[Chappo]

Wow, this reminds me of learning music at school, please don't put me through that agony again
But seriously, how important is it to know about music theory such as this?
Chappo

[Fretsource]

Originally Posted by Chappo

But seriously, how important is it to know about music theory such as this?
Chappo

It depends on what you want to do. If you just want to play other people's songs on your guitar then it's not important at all to know about cadences. But as Nem said. if he had more of an understanding of cadences then it'd be easier to write stuff. Even then, it's not necessary to know the names of them - just how to get the sound you want when you put them in your song. And you DO have to put them in if you're writing songs. Almost all songs have cadences, whether or not the writer knows what they're called.

[Chappo]

Okay cool, how did you go about learning music theory? Was it on a tuition basis, or just "ah thats what that is" sort of experience?

[Fretsource]

Like you, I hated it at school because it had no relevance to anything and I dropped music as soon as possible. Then, when I started learning guitar (while still at school) I realised that the two subjects were connected and from then on I became fascinated by it - and enjoyed learning it by myself and applying it to guitar. It helped me understand all about constructing chords, improvising, composing, arranging.
Later, I studied music on a more professional basis via music colleges etc. The trick is to keep it relevant. That way it will always be interesting and useful.

And while we're on the the subject of cadences, I forgot to mention that knowing about them (at least the sound of them) is also really helpful in working out the key of a song and its chords.

[Nem]

The reason I always make these posts about music theory is because I always think its important to understand how something works. some might not agree, but i find music easier when I understand it, so when I took piano i spent a lot of time learning theory, and it made learning the guitar slightly easier when I first started