neirocca sound-first music theory

Analysis & Transposing

Cadence Trainer

Name how a progression ends — authentic, plagal, half, deceptive or Phrygian — by ear or from Roman numerals. The harmony engine grades every answer.

Question type
Range
All-time: 0 / 0Best: 0

Keyboard (orange = bass note)

Accuracy 0%

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What is this tool?

A cadence is the way a phrase closes. The same four chords feel completely different depending on whether the last two are V–I, IV–I or V–vi. This trainer plays a progression, or shows you its Roman numerals, and asks you to name the cadence. The chords are built from the diatonic chords of the key and the correct answer comes straight from the harmony engine's cadence classifier, so the lesson and the grading can never drift apart.

When it helps

  • Hear where the music breathes

    Once you can tell a half cadence from an authentic one, you start following the structure of a piece by ear.

  • Catch the deceptive cadence

    Setting up the tonic and then sidestepping it is a favourite move in pop as well as classical music. Learn to spot it as it happens.

  • Prepare for harmonic analysis

    Naming cadences from Roman numerals at a glance lets you mark the phrase structure of a score as you read it.

How to use

  1. 1 Choose a question type: listen and answer, or read and answer
  2. 2 Choose the range: three basics, plus deceptive, or all five
  3. 3 Press play to hear the progression. Chord labels stay hidden in listening mode
  4. 4 Pick the cadence type from the options
  5. 5 Read the explanation, check the last two Roman numerals, then move on

Related Tools

Lessons that use this tool

The sections of the systematic curriculum where this actually comes up.