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I understand that when playing in a mode, the cadences are quite different from tonal cadences. For example, in the Phrygian mode a cadence would be IV - iii (or II - i if we're renumbering the chords).

Q: What are all of the cadence options for all of the major modes?

Dom
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02fentym
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    Possible duplicate of [Cadences for Modes](https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/42552/cadences-for-modes), which is your own question. (I've never seen a user make a duplicate of his / her own question before) –  May 25 '19 at 04:32
  • https://music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3289/do-we-accept-duplicates-of-questions-that-are-posted-by-the-same-user –  May 25 '19 at 04:42

1 Answers1

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Our three major modes are Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian. The Roman numerals for these are:

Ionian
I  ii  iii  IV  V  vi  vii°

Lydian
I  II  iii ♯iv° V  vi  vii

Mixolydian
I  ii  iii° IV  v  vi ♭VII

You'll notice that both Ionian and Lydian have a major V chord, meaning that the standard cadence of V–I is possible in these two major modes. (Whether it's the most common, I can't answer.) Perhaps due to Mixolydian's minor v chord, the ♭VII is often substituted as a dominant, resulting in a ♭VII–I cadence.

If we generalize it to all modes, it seems that the hierarchy of cadential harmony goes something like:

  1. V where possible (Ionian, Lydian)
  2. ♭II where possible (Phrygian) (maybe there's something to be said about tritone substitutions here?)
  3. ♭VII where possible (Dorian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, sometimes Phrygian)

The only mode missing here is Locrian, which many (myself included) don't even consider an adequate mode based on the diminished tonic triad.

Richard
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    If someone is curious about Locrian harmony, this question goes into more detail about it: https://music.stackexchange.com/q/32420/7222 – Dom Jun 05 '17 at 14:53
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    @Dom That answer looks like Patrx2...he is sorely missed! – Richard Jun 05 '17 at 14:56
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    Yeah, I know. One thing we can do is point to answers like this when we can. – Dom Jun 05 '17 at 15:04
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    Ah yes, the Inadequate Mode. It has so few possibilities, yet I just can't master it. – Areel Xocha Jun 05 '17 at 21:20
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    Thanks for the answer Richard. If that's the strategy, would chord subs for those cadential chords also be suitable? For example, ii for Dorian since the ii is a sub for VII since they share many notes? bvii for Phrygian? vii for Lydian? ii for Mixolydian? ii dim for Aeolian? – 02fentym Jun 07 '17 at 01:03
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    @AreelXocha Locrian has a lot of applications when it comes to certain pop genres today (trap, for example). The trap genres tends to use minor modes mainly, but the Locrian works as well. – 02fentym Jun 07 '17 at 01:05
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    I wonder if part of the preference is to have the penultimate chord always major? That is the case for `V`, `bII`, and `bVII`. – Michael Curtis Jun 18 '19 at 14:55
  • @Richard - In Locrian, we have a II major chord available. We can write a II-i(omit 5th) cadence. Or we can write a V-i(omit 5th), since Locrian also has a major V chord, although it is a tritone above the tonic and not P5. Locrian's diatonic chords are i°, II, iii, iv, V, VI, and vii. –  Jul 04 '19 at 11:26
  • @MichaelCurtis - No. He/she also said the ♭VII is Dorian, Aeolian, Mixolydian, and sometimes Phrygian. This means we can write a vii-i in Phrygian mode. –  Jul 04 '19 at 11:31
  • Dom's link also gives us vii-i(omit 5th) in Locrian. Which choice in Locrian seem the best: V-i(omit 5th), vii-i(omit 5th), or II-i(omit 5th)? –  Jul 04 '19 at 11:32