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Melody and Harmony
Quick questions on Cadences and chords - SQA Higher Music
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the four cadences by sound?Show answer
The reliable way to tell the cadences apart is by how finished they feel. The perfect cadence is the firmest close, a clear sense of arrival. The plagal cadence also sounds finished but gentler, the sound of "a-men" at the end of a hymn. The imperfect cadence sounds unfinished, pausing on the dominant as if the music wants to continue.
What is the dominant seventh?Show answer
The dominant seventh is chord V with an added note a seventh above its root. The extra dissonance sharpens the chord's pull towards the tonic, so a perfect cadence using a dominant seventh sounds especially strong. It is a Higher concept and a frequent answer in chord-identification questions.
What is q1?Show answer
What are the primary chords, and what makes a chord inversion different? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
How do the perfect and plagal cadences differ in sound? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
What does the dominant seventh add to chord V? [1 mark]
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