What chords and cadences does SQA Higher Music examine, and how do you recognise each cadence by ear?
Cadences and chords: identifying the primary chords, chord inversions, the dominant seventh, and the perfect, imperfect, plagal and interrupted cadences in the Understanding Music question paper.
The chord and cadence concepts in SQA Higher Music: the primary chords, inversions, the dominant seventh and the four cadences, and how the listening question paper rewards recognising each by ear.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
Cadences and chords are the harmonic backbone of SQA Higher Music. A chord is several notes sounding together; a cadence is the pair of chords that ends a musical phrase and gives it a sense of finishing or pausing. The Understanding Music paper asks you to identify the primary chords, recognise chord inversions and the dominant seventh, and name the four cadences by ear. This dot point sets out the chords and cadences you must know and the listening habits that let you tell them apart.
The answer
The chords examined at Higher start with the primary chords - the tonic (chord I), subdominant (chord IV) and dominant (chord V) - the three chords that harmonise most tunes. Higher adds chord inversions (where a note other than the root is in the bass, changing the chord's colour without changing its identity) and the dominant seventh chord (chord V with an added seventh, which strengthens the pull back to the tonic). The cadences are the four standard types: the perfect cadence (V to I, complete and final), the imperfect cadence (ending on V, unfinished), the plagal cadence (IV to I, the gentle "amen" close), and the interrupted cadence (V to VI, a surprise that avoids the expected ending). In the listening paper you identify these by ear, matching the sound of each progression to its name.
The primary chords and inversions
Chords I, IV and V harmonise the great majority of melodies, which is why they are called primary. At Higher you also meet inversions: the same chord with a different note in the bass. A chord in root position has its root as the lowest note; in first inversion the third is lowest; in second inversion the fifth is lowest. Inversions smooth the bass line and soften the harmony without changing which chord it is.
The four cadences by sound
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. The interrupted cadence sets up the perfect close but delivers a surprise chord instead, the sound of an unexpected swerve.
The dominant seventh
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.
Examples in context
Take a hymn excerpt. The verse might be harmonised mostly with the primary chords (I, IV, V), use an inversion to smooth the bass under a phrase, and end the final line with a plagal cadence (IV-I), the gentle "amen" close. Each is a named concept and a possible mark.
Take a dramatic orchestral cadence. The music builds towards an expected perfect close on a dominant seventh, then swerves to an unexpected chord (an interrupted cadence), heightening the tension before the real ending arrives later. Naming the dominant seventh and the interrupted cadence secures the marks.
Try this
Q1. What are the primary chords, and what makes a chord inversion different? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. The primary chords are I (tonic), IV (subdominant) and V (dominant); an inversion has a note other than the root in the bass, changing the colour but not the chord's identity.
Q2. How do the perfect and plagal cadences differ in sound? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. Both sound finished, but the perfect cadence (V-I) is the firmest, most final close, while the plagal cadence (IV-I) is gentler, the "amen" sound.
Q3. What does the dominant seventh add to chord V? [1 mark]
- What the marker wants. An added note a seventh above the root, increasing the dissonance and strengthening the pull back to the tonic.
A note on sources
This guide is AI-written and not individually human-reviewed. The chord and cadence concepts follow SQA's Higher Music course specification; verify current detail against the SQA Higher Music documents at sqa.org.uk.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher specimen1 marksThe phrase ends with a chord progression that sounds complete and final. Name the cadence. (1 mark)Show worked answer →
A cadence-identification question. A progression that sounds complete and final is a perfect cadence (chord V to chord I), the strongest sense of arrival in tonal music.
The marker wants the precise cadence name. The clue "complete and final" points to the perfect cadence; a candidate who has trained their ear to the firm V-I close writes "perfect" at once. It can help to contrast it mentally with the unfinished sound of an imperfect cadence (ending on V), which would never feel final.
A weak answer describes the effect ("it sounds finished") without naming the cadence, or confuses perfect with plagal. The four cadences are a small, fixed set, so learn each one's sound and name precisely.
SQA Higher 20221 marksName the cadence that sounds unfinished, as if the music wants to continue. (1 mark)Show worked answer →
A question contrasting cadence types. A cadence that sounds unfinished, leaving the music hanging, is an imperfect cadence, which ends on chord V (the dominant).
The marker wants "imperfect". The defining quality is the open, unresolved feeling: the music has paused on a chord that demands continuation rather than closing. A candidate who knows that perfect and plagal cadences sound finished, while imperfect and interrupted do not, can place the sound correctly.
A common confusion is between the imperfect cadence (ends on V, unfinished) and the interrupted cadence (V to VI, a surprise). Both avoid a final close, but the interrupted one delivers an unexpected chord rather than simply pausing. Learn the four as a contrasting set.
Related dot points
- Melody and harmony: identifying the melodic and harmonic concepts examined in the Understanding Music question paper, including the Higher-level additions, and recognising them aurally and in notation.
An overview of the melody and harmony concepts in SQA Higher Music: the Higher-level additions on top of the National 5 list, and how the listening question paper rewards identifying them by ear and in the score.
- Intervals and scales: identifying named intervals, major and minor scales, the pentatonic and chromatic scales, and related melodic concepts in the Understanding Music question paper.
The intervals and scales concepts in SQA Higher Music: naming intervals, recognising major, minor, pentatonic and chromatic scales, and the melodic features built on them, by ear and in the score.
- Tonality and decoration: identifying tonality, modulation, pedal, drone, countermelody, contrary motion and ornaments (including the acciaccatura and appoggiatura) in the Understanding Music question paper.
The wider melody and harmony concepts in SQA Higher Music: tonality and modulation, pedal and drone, countermelody, contrary motion and the ornaments, and how the listening paper rewards hearing them.
- Texture and harmony types: identifying monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic and contrapuntal textures, and related concepts such as unison, harmony and imitation, in the Understanding Music question paper.
The texture concepts in SQA Higher Music: monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic and contrapuntal textures, and related ideas such as unison and imitation, recognised by ear in the listening question paper.
- Reading staff notation: reading pitch (treble and bass clefs, key signatures) and rhythm (note and rest values, time signatures) from the stave, and following the printed music in the Understanding Music question paper.
The music literacy skills in SQA Higher Music: reading pitch from the treble and bass clefs, reading note and rest values and time signatures, and following the printed score in the listening question paper.
Sources & how we know this
- Higher Music Course Specification — SQA (2025)
- Higher Music question paper and marking instructions — SQA (2025)