Deceptive cadence
We call that a deceptive cadence ‘cause it deceives us. I always tell my students, “If you have a deceptive cadence, be sure to raise your eyebrows, then everybody will know.”
-Benjamin Zander at TED ~10:30
Last night, for my second time, I got to see Jon Brion perform at Largo, where he performs regularly. People enjoy his live solo show for many different reasons, most commonly his sense of play and experimentation, harnessed by the technology at his disposal to accompany himself as he improvises. I, for one, worship his composition, improvised and written, mainly because of his relentless and habitual use of what I think is deceptive cadence.
What he does is he takes it and he turns it. And when he turns it, he turns it in a way that makes you wonder why it hasn’t always been turned that way.
Check out his work on Punch-Drunk Love. Also, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
