# Any rules (or tips) regarding key changes in classical music?



## madfloyd (Oct 19, 2020)

So I'm a sad hack still learning music theory. I can create a chord progression within one key which works... but it's boring. What is a good way to go about changing keys (and knowing which key to change to)?

Thanks in advance for any insight...


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## Beans (Oct 19, 2020)

There are a lot of YouTube tutorials out there on key changes or "modulation."

With that said, the thought that staying in one key as being "boring" is probably the most immediate thing you may want to look into resolving before you look to resolve into another key. 

In what way do you find it boring? What sort of topics have you covered so far? Additional chord voicings, for example? What is the rhythm behind your progressions?

There are a lot of great, free resources out there. I think Guy Michelmore posted a YouTube video not long ago on chord inversions, which could spice up your life if you're not already there. Additionally, VI-C's own Christopher Siu has probably also covered this topic on YouTube.

So, yeah, get out there and look for things like *chord voicings* (and also look up what is meant by 7th, 6th, 9th, 11th, suspended, augmented, and diminished chords, for starters; get to know the math behind the structure of them), *voice leading*, and how to avoid consecutive *parallel octaves* (or why some things, like parallel sixths, may sound "good").

You're not expected to become an expert on these overnight or just by reading them. It takes practice practice practice. As Alain from Scoreclub says (paraphrased): don't focus on writing good music; focus on writing a lot of it.

But, understanding potential topics to Google is hopefully a good start!

EDIT: It's also helpful to look into the "feel" of certain *intervals*, which will influence how your melody, your chord progression, or your individual chord voicings may change a listener's perception of a piece. Learn what intervals make a pairing of notes sound happy or sad or heroic. All it takes is two notes.


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## madfloyd (Oct 19, 2020)

Thank you so much for responding. I was doing a little studying of some music I liked using Melodyne to figure out the notes/chords/keys and noticed that the key kept changing and it made me thing that it was probably the norm in classical music. I'll put Google to work...


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## cmillar (Oct 19, 2020)

No rules!....but in 'classical' music (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, etc. in that time period) they had stylistic conventions and 'accepted' sounds and progressions.

But, Mozart and Beethoven were really pushing the envelope and breaking 'the rules' when they wanted to.

Suggestion...pick up some text books (used) that have been used in music conservatories for music theory. Most of them go through the stylistic harmonic practices and developments that were happening during certain time periods.


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## eakwarren (Oct 19, 2020)

First thing I'd suggest it to explore different scale modes within the same key. This will provide a noticeably different "flavor" to your music. Someone once described the modes this way:

*Ionian*: It is the most cheerful of all the scales. Used in nearly all Western music, from classical to hip-hop. In key of C: CDEFGAB.

*Dorian*: Not at all as sad and gloomy as the aeolian scale, with which it is often compared, this is due to its raised sixth degree. Listen to Mad Word by Roland Orzabal. Used in rock, jazz, blues, and fusion music. In key of C: DEFGABC.

*Phrygian*: The lowered second degree gives it a darker feel than aeolian. Spanish flavor and is used in flamenco music, fusion, and speed metal. In key of C: EFGABCD.

*Lydian*: The unruly raised fourth degree in combination with the natural fifth degree (which creates stability) gives it a dreamy character. Listen to Dreams by Stevie Nicks. Used in jazz, fusion, rock, or country music. Focus on the root, major 3rd, sharp 4, and P5 degrees of the scale to bring out the Lydian feel. For chords, focus on the 1, 2 and 7 chords, the 5 sounds like it resets to Dmajor. In key of C: FGABCDE.

*Mixolydian*: The lowered seventh degree makes it less cheerful than the major scale. Mixo is often described as strong. Used in rockabilly, country, blues, and rock music. Focus on the root, 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th notes in the scale (mixolydian pentatonic). In key of C: GABCDEF.

*Aeolian*: The natural minor scale is often thought of as the sad scale, the lowered sixth scale degree is as important as the lowered third, for creating this character. Used in pop, country, rock, blues, heavy metal, classical, and more. In key of C: ABCDEFG.

*Locrian*: A very beautiful, sad, dark and eerie scale. Stick to making modal music with this one. Listen to the first minute of The Evil Has Landed, by Testament. Used in fusion and jazz, and some heavy metal. In key of C: BCDEFGA.


Hopefully the above description is helpful. But taking modes a step further by ordering them from brightest to darkest allows you to not only select an overall mood for your music, but to modify that mood as your piece progresses. _You brighten or darken by either sharpening or flattening the tri-tone of the scale._ Here's a clip from my theory notebook since pasting it as text broke the formatting:

*



*

The interesting property is this mode order becomes an infinite loop of lighter/darker shades. Super Mega Ultra Lydian is the same as Super Mega Ultra Locrian! (According to Jacob Collier at least.) 


Then one can select these different shades by borrowing from different modes. The application of this is beautifully taught in




There's also this handy chart of chords musicians use most.






http://www.tonaltrends.com/communities/0/004/010/145/660/images/4616405959_970x452.png




Finally, Scott Murphy explains how to use chord modulations to evoke a certain emotion.


Here's my note from his video:
*Chord modulations to evoke a certain emotion*
M5m example: G—> (go up 5 half-steps starting at Ab)—> Cm




M2M or M10M: Protagonism (heroic themes i-M4-M6-M7 from the aeolian mode) I-II or III-#IV
M6M: Outer space I-#IV or IV-VII
M8M or M4M: Fantastical I-bVI or III-8va
M4m or m8M: Sadness, loss I-iii or IV-vi also i-VII-ii-VI
M5m or m7M: Romantic, Middle Eastern I-iv or III-vi
M7m or m5M: Wonder, transcendence I-v or i-VI, II-vi or ii-V
m2M or M10m: Mystery or dark comedy i-II
m11M or M1m: Dramatic sound popular in early 21st Century i-VII
m6m: Antagonism, danger (less character-based) i-#iv
m8m or m4m: Antagonism, evil (more character-based) i-bvi cm-abm


Enjoy your musical journey!

Eric


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## storyteller (Oct 19, 2020)

Personal opinion... make them as bold and emotional as possible. The more jarring when timed and voiced well, the better.


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## JohnG (Oct 19, 2020)

yes, it is boring staying too long in the same pitch centre/ key

In "classical" music, there were a few conventions that are common to hear. Naturally, people also broke them.

1. Major Key start: Start in tonic, modulate to dominant, then return to tonic (start in D-major, modulate to A-major, modulate back to D-major).
2. Minor Key start: Start in tonic minor, modulate to relative major then maybe back to original tonic (start in B-minor, modulate to D-major, modulate back to B-minor)

Also, you may or may not be aware that there is a variety of minor scales out there, including (as someone above posted) modes. Each of these scales can be used as a means of building less "typical" chords if that's one of your objectives.

there's a thread on the topic here: https://vi-control.net/community/threads/your-favorite-modulation-tricks-and-tips.44962/

*Don't Let it Ruin Your Fun*

Modulation is a big topic. Sadly, it's one of those subjects that attracts plenty of pretentious hogwash, so don't let formal ideas tangle you too hopelessly. 

Try to keep having fun as you write, and don't worry if you appear to be violating some convention. It's ok, for example, to jump from one key to another without preparation or warning. It's also ok to use one of the conventions if you like.


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## marclawsonmusic (Oct 19, 2020)

madfloyd said:


> What is a good way to go about changing keys (and knowing which key to change to)?



This is something I have struggled with too.

Lots of good has already been said in this thread, but one thing that might help is listening to interesting music that has key changes. There is always a place for the sudden dramatic key change, but there are other pieces of music where the change of key is barely noticeable. For example (and this isn't classical repertoire), John Williams easily slides from E major to Ab major by pivoting on the G# (or Ab) at the beginning of this piece (modulation at 0:10):



One important thing to realize is that any note in any scale can be used to 'pivot' to another key... and not necessarily using a dominant. Once you start to hear that in other pieces, it might unlock some ideas for your own music.


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## davetbass (Oct 19, 2020)

JohnG said:


> Modulation is a big topic and subject, I'm afraid, to plenty of pretentious hogwash, so don't let formal ideas tangle you too hopelessly.
> 
> Try to keep having fun as you write, and don't worry if you appear to be violating some convention. It's ok, for example, to jump from one key to another without preparation or warning. It's also ok to use one of the conventions if you like.



This makes sense to me, I'm not classically trained, the theory knowledge that I do have comes from learning tons of rock and pop from the past 50 years. There are some conventions there too like modulating up a whole step for a "lift". but some pop songs have strange key changes like in a bridge that seems like something the producer wanted to add because HE was getting bored of the song, lol. 

My understanding is that even in the classical world theory is descriptive more than prescriptive, but I think people should understand the historical conventions especially in this film and tv world where you might need to write music for a specific time and place.

Along with theory and Melodyne have you tried figuring out by ear what's going on with the music you like?, I'm constantly playing guitar along with the tv or movies, trying to pick out the different orchestral or synth lines.


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## SlHarder (Oct 19, 2020)

Beans said:


> don't focus on writing good music; focus on writing a lot of it.


I'm still very much at the "lot of it" stage of my music education.

I have found Scaler to be a worthwhile investment. I've barely scratched the surface of all I can learn from it. But being able to easily hear and compare chord variations has helped me begin to grasp the relationships, contours and textures.


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## madfloyd (Oct 20, 2020)

Thanks to all who have taken the time to post in this thread, it is very much appreciated. There is so much to learn and I am just scratching the surface but the subject is as fascinating as it is intimidating.


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## SimonCharlesHanna (Oct 20, 2020)

I use to think that modulation was the key to creating interesting, colourful music however, I find modulation to be more of a broad stroke to change "scenes" (still interesting but not the cure to predictable music). What was far more important to create music with character for me was borrowed chords, tonicization and modes.


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## Dave Connor (Oct 20, 2020)

The idea that someone like Beethoven was basically conventional while breaking some rules along the way is like looking at Saturn with the naked eye and saying it has rings.

There are so many formal considerations driving his key selections and changes that you really cannot understand the _hows_ and _whys_ without thoroughly understanding what he’s doing in observation of structural _rules _or _considerations._

You can observe what he did _at the point of modulation - _say within the few bars where he actually changes key (which would often be radical) but that’s not really the story at all.

All that is to say that _modulation_ - in the Classical era - is a rather broad subject that is inextricably linked to the small (phrase) and large (section) aspects of the the form that it is functioning within.


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## mikeh-375 (Oct 21, 2020)

Pivoting has already been touched on by @marclawsonmusic and whilst the concept is easy to intuit, knowing about voice leading and alternative functionality inherent in a chord will enable smooth transition or prolonged modulation to many seemingly disparate tonal centres.

Understanding note function within a chord is therefore an an essential learn imv. Note function can be altered (via enharmonic spelling too), and subsequently resolved accordingly in order to move into different tonal areas. As always the ears are the final arbiter, but thinking about the functionality of a note within a chord and the options it offers are a great way to search for interesting progressions - an example of the 'search tool' functionality that learnt technique offers. Here's a quick 'search'...

The e in c major can be thought of as...the 7th in F sharp maj/min. Or an augmented 5th in Aflat maj/min. Or maybe it is a melodic retardation up to the f in a bflat minor chord....etc. etc.

One can 'daisy chain' too. For example the e in Cmaj if thought of as the 7th in fsharp min7th can then, in the new chord (fsharp min7), be thought of as perhaps the flattened ninth of Eflat dom9 in Aflat maj/min...well you get the idea - and that's without enharmonic practice!!! This mental process only takes a second or two and allows fast searching through creative options, almost without thinking.

One does not have to adhere to strict resolves that satisfy voice-leading of course, but subliminal awareness of what's possible will always guide and help to promote best practice in a given moment, from the manuscript to the part in front of the player irrespective of how wild and whacky one wants to get.

EDITED to add... I believe @Dave Connor mentions an important aspect of successful modulation above, that of context. One can be instantaneous with a tonal shift or prepare the musical ground with sprinkled hints of a new tonality beforehand that often ensures a smoother transition. This last is done by exploiting the commonalities between related keys (notes, chords) which can then be used to subvert a keys dominance at a particular moment by creating an ambiguous passage of music prior to the actual key change. Using and emphasising, or hovering and lingering over the common material has the effect of loosening the grip of the prevailing tonics gravity over time. The final death-knell of the initial key being a cadence in the new key, which will feel more inevitable.

This last technique is in part what Dave is referring to above as it was used a lot in the classical era.
The contextual consideration along with the timing of the shift are as important to a successful key change as the actual shift itself....oh yeah and "anything goes" can work too.

@madfloyd ...little by little and bit by bit will get you there.....


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## youngpokie (Oct 21, 2020)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> I use to think that modulation was the key to creating interesting, colourful music however, I find modulation to be more of a broad stroke to change "scenes" (still interesting but not the cure to predictable music). What was far more important to create music with character for me was borrowed chords, tonicization and modes.



This by @SimonCharlesHanna is the most complete (if brief) description of a potential toolbox for interesting chord progressions here. I would also add chord alterations (augmented - diminished) to this list.

Let's use some hypothetical 8 bar chord progression to discuss this.

If you keep your current progression and end the 8 bars with big cadential modulation, you simply avoid confronting your real problem - boring chords.

The big modulation will get you into another key and then your problem will repeat itself - boring progression in a brand new key. Now you will have to decide - to create "closure" at the new tonic and leave the problem unresolved - or modulate again. And again, and again.

You can solve this by mini-modulating twice _within_ the 8 bars through tonicization - mini-modulate in the first 4 bars and then mini-modulate back to original key in the second 4 bars. You could do that by replacing a chord from your home key with a D7 built on its 5th degree (in C, d minor chord becomes A7, G major becomes D7, etc). You come back to home key by using a V7th (in C, G7).

You can also add life and interest to your progression without modulating at all. Stay with home key of your 8 bar chord progression and simply replace its subdominant with the subdominant of the parallel key (in C, F major chord will become f minor). The idea is to mix the chords of your home key with the chords of its parallel key. Similarly, you could replace your tonic (or subdominant) with the tonic of the relative key (in C, C major chord would become a minor).

A more advanced technique would be to use leading tones - raise one or more notes of a preceding chord by a semitone to resolve it into a given chord. For example, a plain tonic chord run once, then repeated again but with a raised 5th degree and then resolving into: a tonic borrowed from the relative minor, or into a subdominant (original or borrowed from parallel key), and so forth.

Any of these techniques (better yet, a combination of them) will change the character of your progression (some pretty dramatically), add tension and allow you to reserve the big modulations for when they are really useful. Cheers.


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## Rob (Oct 21, 2020)

another way of getting interesting chord progressions is taking a neo-riemannian approach. Basically, substitute the idea of chords having a function in a set key, with chords transforming into other chords... without the need to go into the detailed vocabulary of the theory (each one of these transformations have a name), simply pass from a chord to another one which has one or two common tones. Or build a melody in a certain key and, after having chosen the notes where you'd like to have a different harmony, imagine that note being the root or the 3rd or the 5th etc of a major or minor chord... easy and can give a fresh feeling of not being constrained by the predictability of functional harmony.


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## gsilbers (Oct 21, 2020)

in classical music there are some stricter "rules" or most used type of modulations. (imo)

For film score is more about parallel harmony. and its more random and mainly based on whats on screen.

HEre is my buddy freddy doing more explanation about it john william style.
We recently work on Lego star wars shorts and his stuff was amazing. ( i did the sound)
But if you listen to his work its mr modulation man  of how much he does it.
Some animation stuff like yu gi oh he does its not only modulations, its also different genres in the same cue. 





I think there is also a good video and/or vi post showing the main title for xmen that also uses this tehcnique of parallel harmony.

In general it look random at first but once you play around freestyling mixing modes, chords , scales you get that very cinematic sound. Maybe there are some more specific rules, but just improvising helps a lot.


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## ed buller (Oct 21, 2020)

madfloyd said:


> So I'm a sad hack still learning music theory. I can create a chord progression within one key which works... but it's boring. What is a good way to go about changing keys (and knowing which key to change to)?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any insight...




Well...first off a boring chord progression won't be saved by repeating in a new key.

as to keys,






this is the circle of fifths. If we start at Cmaj you will see that underneath it is A Minor....all the same notes !. To the right is G maj...all the same notes except one !...F, that is now a sharp. Next to the right is D..two sharps F and C...notice that the sharps are a fifth apart. Next is A...three sharps. And yes the new sharp is a Fifth above the last one !

If we go the other way from C we Have F. This has all the same notes except One. B...that is now Bflat.


So..we see patterns . Exploit them and your listeners will find it easy to follow. Once you've earned their trust...surprise them.

Foolproof way to change key:


There is one Chord that always says...."Honey i'm Home !"...that is the Dominant 7th Chord. Every key has one. All you have to do is play the dominant 7th of the Key you want to go to Followed by the Home chord of that Key. And if you want this to be simple pick a key Next door. So in C ...if we play a chord progression and end with a D7 chord ..D..F sharp..A....C...( but to be clever spell it A..C..D..Fsharp) Then Go to the G...and Viola...you have changed key...Tradition dictates you celebrate this by doing it again.....we call this a cadence.....But i wouldn't bother.....

this is a foolproof method but sorta boring.

Another way is to find a chord common to both the key you are in AND the key you want to go to. This is relativity straight forward. If you are in G for instance G,Bmin,D and Em are also in the key of D maj......so land on of those and stay in the new key by playing the chords in THAT key.

And yet another is to use the HYPERDRIVE chord. This is a Diminished 7th Chord. This naughty bastard will get you anywhere. It's made up of three minor thirds piled on top of one another. So in C

C, Dflat...Gflat...and A........Now the trick with this puppy is that you can follow this chord with any chord that is a half step Up from any of the four notes !....But wait...there's more. You can also treat those notes enharmonically.











This became Sooooooooooooooooooooo popular Verdi banned it in his classroom....
There is a lot to learn...and also never forget that there's TONS of great chord progressions out there....Steal em !....make them your own...change a couple of chords...string two together . Music is nourishment . Go on a healthy musical diet and pay attention as to why you like shit !......let your taste guide you...and learn the things you like.....in every key



Join scoreclub. Learn at your own pace, worth every penny. This shizz is hard to navigate on your own







Home Page - ScoreClub


Golden-age level craft of composition for the modern-day composer. Real training that gets results to write like the masters.




scoreclub.net








best

ed


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## Snoobydoobydoo (Oct 22, 2020)

Im still fiddeling with keychanges too...
But came to the conclusion that its better for me to imagine the progression first (and singing or humming them and recording it) and then finding those notes and chords. That way im not limited to a strict mathematical scheme and are more focused on the emotional expression. In the end notes/pitches/freqs and their relations are already nested inside yourself without even knowing about the theory behind it, just from your daily hearing experiences. But of course knowledge will not interfere with an Imaginational approach, it will support it. Thanks everyone for the nice informations.


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## ProfoundSilence (Oct 22, 2020)

What is classical music?

the vast majority of music/theory discussed in this thread have very little resemblance to classical music. 

Short answer: Circle of Fifths - that's what drove modulation as well as how to approach modulation in classical music. I suppose you could argue essential chromaticism also influenced the chord changes to approach a key change - but typically speaking, circle of fifths.


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## ed buller (Oct 22, 2020)

ProfoundSilence said:


> What is classical music?
> 
> the vast majority of music/theory discussed in this thread have very little resemblance to classical music.
> 
> Short answer: Circle of Fifths - that's what drove modulation as well as how to approach modulation in classical music. I suppose you could argue essential chromaticism also influenced the chord changes to approach a key change - but typically speaking, circle of fifths.




yes for "Classical Music" the circle of fifths is the key. But film music is very very different. Most film music uses a lot of late 19th Century and Early Twentieth century techniques . The easiest way to think of the change is that you are no longer operating Under the hierarchy of a key . Chords change by different means. Quite often it's the voices themselves that dictate the changes and not the expected harmonic movement. This is Known as parsimonious voice leading . A very simple and efficient exercise is sitting at a keyboard and seeing how many triads ( maj or min ) you can play in succession by moving a finger ( or more ) only a semitone . So much of Holly wood music is made up of These progressions, Some even have names after the composers that over use them . James Newton Howard has a fav . A min chor followed by A maj a semitone below. Here the third in the Min stays on the same note and becomes a third in the Maj. Fm to EMaj for instance. This chord progression lives outside of the world of Key's and Functional Harmony that dominated music until the late 19th Century. There are Now thank goodness lot's of books on the subject:













Books by Brian Morrell


Brian Morrell - musician, composer, lecturer, and author. Specialist in film music.




brianmorrell.co.uk





These are free !...though you could always give him something by Paypal

e


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## ProfoundSilence (Oct 22, 2020)

ed buller said:


> yes for "Classical Music" the circle of fifths is the key. But film music is very very different. Most film music uses a lot of late 19th Century and Early Twentieth century techniques . The easiest way to think of the change is that you are no longer operating Under the hierarchy of a key . Chords change by different means. Quite often it's the voices themselves that dictate the changes and not the expected harmonic movement. This is Known as parsimonious voice leading . A very simple and efficient exercise is sitting at a keyboard and seeing how many triads ( maj or min ) you can play in succession by moving a finger ( or more ) only a semitone . So much of Holly wood music is made up of These progressions, Some even have names after the composers that over use them . James Newton Howard has a fav . A min chor followed by A maj a semitone below. Here the third in the Min stays on the same note and becomes a third in the Maj. Fm to EMaj for instance. This chord progression lives outside of the world of Key's and Functional Harmony that dominated music until the late 19th Century. There are Now thank goodness lot's of books on the subject:
> 
> 
> 
> ...





I keep reading the title "in classical music" and people are giving advice for everything except classical music. In the op they said they were a theory hack, so I cant help but feel like the extra stuff suggested means they either asked the wrong question or people are giving then answers to a question they didnt ask. 

If they are trying to emulate baroque/classical harpsichord writing and they start planing parallel major chords in 1st inversion because that's what john Williams does they might be trying to figure out why it doesn't sound classical LOL


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## ed buller (Oct 22, 2020)

ProfoundSilence said:


> I keep reading the title "in classical music" and people are giving advice for everything except classical music. In the op they said they were a theory hack, so I cant help but feel like the extra stuff suggested means they either asked the wrong question or people are giving then answers to a question they didnt ask.
> 
> If they are trying to emulate baroque/classical harpsichord writing and they start planing parallel major chords in 1st inversion because that's what john Williams does they might be trying to figure out why it doesn't sound classical LOL



I'm guessing because they posted on this forum that they mean Film Music...but it's a guess and If i'm wrong that's 20 mins of my life i wont get back. But your ire is noted

best

e


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## mikeh-375 (Oct 22, 2020)

technique is technique, it all helps.


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## sinkd (Oct 27, 2020)

Rodney Money said:


> Unfortunately, I haven’t read through the other comments so please forgive me if I am repeating anyone. I see people arguing all the time here and online if studying theory will hinder creativity, but this is literally Music Theory 2 concerning the topic of modulation.
> 
> Talking about modulating between 2 keys all you need to do is find a common chord between the 2. (For example, going from the key of C Major to D Major where the common chord is A Major which is a V/V in C and a V in D. Play this progression: C, G, A, D.)


Rodney's example is good, but an A Major triad is V/ii (which means V "of" ii, or the (temporary) Dominant "of" d minor in C Major (not V/V). G is the common diatonic chord. (same quality in both key/scales: it works in both C Major and D). I think he was thinking in C and G simultaneously  

Another way to think about modulation is through melody. Say you are composing a melody in A minor. What happens when you throw in a D-sharp at some point? Or a B-flat or F-#? Where do you hear it "pointing" or pulling--does that changed note re-orient your melody briefly? or does it change things going forward... Do you hear a new final or landing note for the melody after making the "tweak"? What does it sound like when you put things back (in A minor)? Was it a pleasing round trip for your melody? Do the altered notes suggest different chords than you would have had staying in the key? etc.


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## Romy Schmidt (Oct 27, 2020)

madfloyd said:


> So I'm a sad hack still learning music theory. I can create a chord progression within one key which works... but it's boring. What is a good way to go about changing keys (and knowing which key to change to)?



You can spice up your score with secondary dominants. No need to modulate, yet.

Guitar - Youtube
General - Youtube


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## Rodney Money (Oct 27, 2020)

sinkd said:


> Rodney's example is good, but an A Major triad is V/ii (which means V "of" ii, or the (temporary) Dominant "of" d minor in C Major (not V/V). G is the common diatonic chord. (same quality in both key/scales: it works in both C Major and D). I think he was thinking in C and G simultaneously
> 
> Another way to think about modulation is through melody. Say you are composing a melody in A minor. What happens when you throw in a D-sharp at some point? Or a B-flat or F-#? Where do you hear it "pointing" or pulling--does that changed note re-orient your melody briefly? or does it change things going forward... Do you hear a new final or landing note for the melody after making the "tweak"? What does it sound like when you put things back (in A minor)? Was it a pleasing round trip for your melody? Do the altered notes suggest different chords than you would have had staying in the key? etc.


Yep, I was having a brain fart! Thank ya.


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## marclawsonmusic (Oct 27, 2020)

ed buller said:


> ... your ire is noted



Forum reply of the week here.


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## Yogevs (Oct 28, 2020)

ed buller said:


> yes for "Classical Music" the circle of fifths is the key. But film music is very very different. Most film music uses a lot of late 19th Century and Early Twentieth century techniques . The easiest way to think of the change is that you are no longer operating Under the hierarchy of a key . Chords change by different means. Quite often it's the voices themselves that dictate the changes and not the expected harmonic movement. This is Known as parsimonious voice leading . A very simple and efficient exercise is sitting at a keyboard and seeing how many triads ( maj or min ) you can play in succession by moving a finger ( or more ) only a semitone . So much of Holly wood music is made up of These progressions, Some even have names after the composers that over use them . James Newton Howard has a fav . A min chor followed by A maj a semitone below. Here the third in the Min stays on the same note and becomes a third in the Maj. Fm to EMaj for instance. This chord progression lives outside of the world of Key's and Functional Harmony that dominated music until the late 19th Century. There are Now thank goodness lot's of books on the subject:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Thanks for the link - I didn't know these!


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