AP Music Theory Flashcards: Cadential 6/4 Chords
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
When part-writing a cadential 6/4, what is the most important voice-leading rule to follow for the upper voices?
The sixth and fourth above the bass must always resolve down by step.
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When part-writing a cadential 6/4, what is the most important voice-leading rule to follow for the upper voices?
The sixth and fourth above the bass must always resolve down by step.
What is the harmonic function of a cadential 6/4 chord?
Although it contains the notes of the tonic triad, it does not exercise a tonic function but serves as an embellishment of the dominant chord it resolves to.
What is a cadential 6/4 chord?
A second-inversion triad that precedes the dominant, often at a cadence, and serves as an embellishment of the dominant chord rather than having a tonic function.
What is the relationship between the bass note of a cadential 6/4 and the dominant chord it resolves to?
The bass note of the cadential 6/4 is the same as the root of the dominant chord it resolves to; it is the dominant scale degree.
In score analysis, if you see a I⁶/₄ chord on a strong beat followed by a V chord, what specific type of 6/4 chord is it?
This is a cadential 6/4 chord, which functions as an embellishment of the V chord.
What is the typical metrical placement of a cadential 6/4 chord?
The cadential 6/4 chord occurs in a metrically stronger position than the dominant chord that it resolves to.
What does the notation V⁶⁻⁵₄⁻³ represent?
This notation represents a cadential 6/4 chord resolving to the dominant, showing the sixth resolving to a fifth and the fourth resolving to a third above the bass.
Why is care required when using second-inversion (6/4) chords in tonal music?
Care must be taken because they are harmonically unstable and may only appear in four specific, controlled contexts.
How must the upper voices of a cadential 6/4 chord resolve?
The sixth and fourth above the bass should always resolve down by step to the tones of the dominant chord.
Besides the cadential 6/4, what are the other three contexts where second-inversion triads may appear in 18th-century music?
The other three contexts are the neighboring or pedal 6/4, the passing 6/4, and the arpeggiated 6/4.