Deceptive resolutions
On first hearing the phrase ‘deceptive resolution’, you’d be forgiven for thinking it meant a vow you make at New Year that you’ve no intention of keeping, like giving up beer or spending less time in the studio. In fact, it’s all about ending a chord progression with something other than the expected chord, deceiving listeners in the process.
To fully understand what deceptive resolutions are really all about, we first need to know all about cadences. In broad terms, a cadence is a phrase of two chords designed to bring a musical progression to an ultimate state of rest – in other words, a pair of chords that, when played one after the other, end a piece of music – "Ah-men!"
A deceptive resolution,
