7

Identifying cadences - model answer

The extract will always be presented in this way as a single line melody in the treble staff, and a blank bass staff where you can write the chord notes if you wish.

Take note of the “ONLY ONE chord” at each of the lettered positions and the indication that there a only two cadences.  (It’s almost guaranteed that there will be two cadences, typically one with a 2 chord sequence and the other a 3 chord sequence.)

1

Work out the scale/key of the extract.   The key signature of one flat and the absence of accidentals suggests the key is F major.  Bring to mind/ write down the I,II,IV and V chords as I  = F-A-C, II = G-Bb-D, IV = Bb-D-F and V =C-E-G.  (But if you had chosen mistakenly D minor at this step, we’ll see how that choice would be quickly revealed as wrong in the next steps.)

2

Now look at the melody notes at each bracketed chord position.  At each chord point, the melody will consist of either  important chord notes - notes contained in the underlying chord - or less important passing notes  which are NOT contained in the underlying chord.  Typically chord notes are on the beat, have long duration, and can be preceded and succeeded by any other notes, while passing notes are typically off the beat, have short duration and are preceded and succeeded “stepwise” by the next note above or below.

So looking at the chord position A, the melody notes are a long Bb, a leap to a F followed by a leap back to Bb, a skip up to D, a step down to a quaver C note and then further step down to Bb.

There’s no simple triad chord containing all the melody notes Bb-F-D-C so which are the chord notes and which are the passing notes?  The Bb is clearly a chord note - it occurs 3 times in the bar, is the first long note of the bar, which is approached by a leap up a 4th from a F, and followed by a leap down a 4th to a F.  The F is also a chord note -  although it’s off beat and a short duration, it’s not preceded/succeeded by notes immediately above or below it.  By now you should be fairly confident that the chord supporting the melody at A is the IV chord of Bb-D-F.  The C note is a passing note linking “stepwise” the two chord notes of D and Bb.  

The second chord B completes the first cadence and consists of F-A-C notes - all clearly chord notes spelling out the I chord.

(If you had thought the extract was in D minor, you would have come to the same conclusions about the chords of Bb-D-F and F-A-C giving chords VI and III which are not tested at grade 5.)

Chord C  - chord notes of A, C & F ; passing notes of D & E so  F-A-C - chord I

Chord D  -  chord notes of Bb - D - G: passing notes of C  so G-Bb-D - chord II

Chord E -   chord notes of  E-G-C; passing notes of  F so C-E-G - chord V

3

Finally double-check the final chord of each cadence , because you know that the final chord must be either chord I or chord V.   Also if the final chord is I, then the preceding chord must be IV or V.

The first cadence ends with chord I and is preceded by chord IV  - good!

The second cadence ends with chord V - good !

Check all your chords  are I,II, IV and V only.  You cannot give a chord “a”, “b” or “c” position so DON’T when you write down the chords.

FIRST CADENCE:

Chord A  .IV.......................................

Chord B  I.......................................

SECOND CADENCE:

Chord C   I.......................................

Chord D  II......................................

Chord E  V

.......................................

Alternatively, you can write the chords in root position into the bass clef staff.