The Gospel Cadence, Double Dominant & More – Twinkle Twinkle Reimagined on Piano

Learn piano cadences explained on Twinkle Twinkle in Ab major with Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music — authentic, plagal and more. Cadences are how music ends a phrase with intention, and in this practical lesson we harmonise one familiar tune — Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Ab major — with almost every cadence you'll ever use. This is pure piano application, not just theory on paper. We start with the authentic cadence (V-I), then strengthen it using a dominant 7th for that 4-to-3 resolution. Next comes the plagal or Amen cadence (IV-I) heard in church hymns, the darker minor plagal cadence that borrows from Mixolydian b6 (also called the Charukesi scale/raga), and the stacked major-four-then-minor-four ending loved in cinematic writing and pop ballads. From there we build three- and four-chord cadences: the IV-V-I gospel ending, the gospel 7sus4 (double) suspension, the double dominant or Mixolydian cadence using a secondary dominant (think Elton John and the Beatles), and the diatonic jazz ii-V-I tried on Happy Birthday. This is for pianists and composers who want their endings to sound deliberate across pop, gospel, jazz and film. Play along in Ab, sing the bass roots as we do, and tell us in the comments which cadence surprised you most. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 🎹 Learn Cadences in one place - https://cadence.nathanielschool.com/ ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 📂 Cadences & Chord Progressions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT_sKjWd1c7K_S55cZ15jAKI 📚 Jazz Lessons - Chords, Standards & Exercises - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ZCriHyNonJasffWWSCS_E 🗂️ Sweet Chords - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-C4gmfMXJi6nHcKPL3acYy 📋 Indian Music Theory - Carnatic Ragas - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-EsBVRojlfDQ078y6R438k 🎶 Play Great Songs on Piano - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT8y1l2P68dI_DHadRyMgt3N ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:37 - What Is a Cadence? 🎹 01:01 - Stable vs Unstable Chords 01:17 - How Many Chords Can a Cadence Have? 01:55 - Cadences as a Composer’s Tool 02:19 - Surprising the Listener with Harmony 02:32 - Twinkle Twinkle in Different Flavours 03:57 - The Goal: Twinkle in Ab Major 04:07 - Ab Major and Its Four Flats 04:19 - Playing the Tune 🎶 04:48 - Why We Change Keys Each Lesson 05:02 - A Free Cadence Practice App 📲 06:18 - Authentic Cadence: V to I 06:43 - Strengthening with a Dominant 7th 06:59 - The 4-to-3 Resolution Explained 07:19 - Plagal Cadence: The Amen Ending ⛪ 07:37 - Db Major 6th to Ab 07:57 - Minor Plagal Cadence 08:14 - Borrowing Mixolydian b6 (Charukesi) 08:39 - Stacking Major 4 and Minor 4 08:54 - Cinematic & Pop Ballad Endings 🎬 09:11 - Combining Plagal into Authentic (IV-V-I) 09:33 - Singing the Bass Roots 10:06 - The Gospel 7sus4 Suspension 10:16 - Double / Gospel Suspension Explained 10:41 - Root Moving Sa-Ni-Sa (Leading Tone) 11:00 - Organ & Orchestral Effect 11:15 - Emotion Change in the Cadence 11:35 - The Double Dominant (Mixolydian) Cadence 11:55 - V-of-V: Bb7 to Eb7 to Ab 12:27 - Secondary Dominant in Action 12:46 - The Jazz ii-V-I 13:21 - Testing It on Happy Birthday 🎂 13:36 - Rare & Unheard Cadences Preview 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 Call +91 98454 65411 · 💬 WhatsApp chat +91 77604 56847 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #PianoCadences #GospelCadence #TwinkleTwinkle