Minor Plagal Cadence (iv I)
The Minor plagal cadence is the chord progression iv-I. In the key of C major it is Fm C, and in the Nashville Number System it is written 4m 1.
Chords from outside the key of C major: Fm.
Jump to the chords and audio in C, G, D, A and E
Why it works
The minor iv is borrowed from the parallel minor, and its flat sixth falls by a half step to the fifth of the tonic, which gives a soft, bittersweet close. Wikipedia compares this pull to the leading tone of a V chord.
Songs that use it
These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.
| Song | Artist | Section | Chords | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In My Life | The Beatles | verse ending (in my life I love you more) | Cm G | G major |
Minor Plagal Cadence: Chords and Audio in C, G, D, A and E
Press play to hear each key. The diagrams show the shapes used in the audio, and every chord links to its full page.
More progressions like this one
- Chromatic mediant I-bIII: C Eb
- Chromatic mediant I-III: C E
- Major line cliche: C Cmaj7 C7 F
- bIII-V7 cadence: Eb G7 C
All guitar chord progressions →
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What are the chords of the Minor plagal cadence in each key?
In C major: Fm C. In G major: Cm G. In D major: Gm D. In A major: Dm A. In E major: Am E.
Which songs use the Minor plagal cadence?
Songs that use it include In My Life by The Beatles.
