ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Deceptive cadence

So, imagine you are playing with your toys and you have some building blocks. You have been building a big tower, stacking the blocks one on top of the other. It's getting really tall and you are excited to see how it looks when it's finished.

But just when you think you are about to finish your tower, someone comes and knocks it down! It's a surprise, and you didn't expect it. That's sort of like what happens with a deceptive cadence in music.

In music, when a song or a piece of music is playing, there are patterns and chords that help guide you along. A chord is a group of notes that are played together and they create a certain feeling or mood in the music.

A cadence is a special kind of chord progression that happens at the end of a section or a piece of music. It's a way to bring closure or a feeling of "ending" to the music. You can think of it like a final note that tells you the piece of music is done.

Now, a deceptive cadence is when the cadence tricks you. Just when you think the music is going to end the way you expect it to, it takes a surprising turn. This is sort of like someone knocking down your tower of blocks when you thought it was almost done.

Usually, a cadence involves two chords – a "tonic" chord and a "dominant" chord. The tonic chord gives a feeling of rest or resolution, like when you finally finish building your tower. The dominant chord, on the other hand, creates a feeling of tension or expectation, like when you are about to finish your tower and you are really excited.

In a deceptive cadence, instead of going from the dominant chord to the expected tonic chord, it goes to a different chord that sounds a little bit different. It's like changing the ending of your tower from a happy finish to a surprising twist.

This unexpected change in the music can make you feel different emotions. Sometimes it can be exciting or surprising, like when someone surprises you by knocking down your tower. Other times, it can be a bit sad or even mysterious, like when you thought you were going to finish your tower but something unexpected happens.

Deceptive cadences are used by composers to add interest and surprise to their music. It keeps us listeners engaged and makes the music more interesting to hear. So, just like how sometimes knocking down your tower can be a fun surprise, a deceptive cadence in music can be a really cool and unexpected moment in a song!