Voicing of Cadences

[ian williams]

Hello my friends, I am totally new here, in the exposition of my pianistic days!

I have been studying theory most of all, as my instrument is a sub-par digital standing in for a true instrument until I can begin my official studies. While researching theory, and watching voluminous amounts of videos and performances, I became a tad confused about cadences. In particular, the perfect cadence when played as two triads does not sound conclusive to me, nearly at all. G major to C major, for example, leave me feeling as if it were two undefined and uncoloured block chords that don't really conclude. They simply sort of sit there in mid air, yet G to C is a perfect cadence.

When played as simply the note G to the note C, it sounds very conclusive, of course. However, playing the major triads does not give me that feeling of finality. A friend of mine suggested playing a G7 to C, but that sounded still less convincing as something to end upon. I am aware that a piece must begin in C for the perfect cadence to work from G major to C major, but even then if I progress from a C triad and eventually to a G triad, then back to C, it feels like something is missing.

How do perfect cadences larger than one note (i.e. chords) become conclusive sounding? I hope it's not too ambiguous a question.

[jlh]

Exactly what notes are you playing, bottom to top for both chords (G to C)?

A piece does not need to begin in C for a G - C perfect cadence to work, by the way. 

[ian williams]

The chords are not inverted, no. They are first position block C and G! Also, it just seemed to make sense that a piece had to begin in C for a perfect G-C cadence to sound TRULY perfect.  But yes, G B D and C E G don't seem to work for me.

[jlh]

The chords are not inverted, no. They are first position block C and G! Also, it just seemed to make sense that a piece had to begin in C for a perfect G-C cadence to sound TRULY perfect.  But yes, G B D and C E G don't seem to work for me.

No in fact you don't have to start in the key you end with to get a perfect cadence.  It all depends on the context in which the cadence is occuring and how the cadence is built.

The reason I wanted to know what notes you were playing is that now I see that you're not playing a perfect cadence afterall!  You're playing an imperfect authentic cadence that is using improper voice leading.  No wonder it doesn't sound right!   

Do this (from bottom up):

RH -  D F G B then E G C  *OR*  F G B D then E G C

(The F may be omitted; or if you keep the F, the D may be omitted as it is the 5th scale degree of the dominant 7th chord, and as such it doesn't affect the quality of the chord)

LH -  G then C

This is a perfect authentic cadence with proper voice leading. 

To have proper voice leading with either a perfect or imperfect authentic cadence (or plagal or half), one must invert at least one of the chords.

[ramseytheii]

The other issue is that you are creating parallel fifths, which makes an unpleasant sound and disrupts the cadence.

Walter Ramsey

[jinfiesto]

Or you could just voice the C in the CEG... That makes it easier.