V - I

Also known as the authentic cadence.

The full stop of tonal music: dominant to tonic, tension to rest. Nearly every song you know ends on one, which makes it the first cadence worth learning to hear on demand.

Hear it in different keys

In C major

V G I C

Download MIDI

In G major

V D I G

Download MIDI

Each key above has a MIDI download with every chord played back to back, ready to drop into any DAW or notation program.

Roman numerals show scale degree and quality: uppercase for major, lowercase for minor, a small circle for diminished. Tap any chord above to open its full page, with a diagram and playback.