Is there a formula for changing keys.

[Slowly]

I have the lead sheets to some songs. Seems that the songs that start in Db always modulate up to Ab if there is a key change. Is this a set formula? Thanks, Kcbass

[DougSt.Louis]

Circle of Fifths

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by Kcbass:

I have the lead sheets to some songs. Seems that the songs that start in Db always modulate up to Ab if there is a key change. Is this a set formula? Thanks, Kcbass

No. You can modulate just about anywhere. I have a real interesting short text called something like "All roads lead to the Doxology". Its oriented to church organists. It contains short sequences to get from any key to G. You can transpose to get to any other key.

 

Some common ones though are (from Ab):

 

Up a Fourth: Db

Up a Fifth: Eb

Relative minor: Fm

Minor up a major third third: Cm

[Slowly]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

Originally posted by Kcbass:

I have the lead sheets to some songs. Seems that the songs that start in Db always modulate up to Ab if there is a key change. Is this a set formula? Thanks, Kcbass

No. You can modulate just about anywhere. I have a real interesting short text called something like "All roads lead to the Doxology". Its oriented to church organists. It contains short sequences to get from any key to G. You can transpose to get to any other key.

 

Some common ones though are (from Ab):

 

Up a Fourth: Db

Up a Fifth: Eb

Relative minor: Fm

Minor up a major third third: Cm

I'm not a church orgonist, but I wish I was. Send me your text, just stick it in my mailbox. Thanks, Kcbass

[D_dup3]

There are formulae for key changes (afore mentioned Circle o'Fifths, etc); the only problem is that adhering to them tends to give your music (surprise!) a formulaic cast.

 

This is the "Secret of The Beatles"---breaking the mold in the right way.

 

Listen to lots of music; note the places where your ear is intrigued by the modulations & analyse how those pieces "pulled you in".

 

[There's no escaping the necessity of learning enough theory to at least understand how the chords & tunes involved relate to one another.

Also you'll need to be aware of how substitutions relate.]

 

The more you hear the patterns that have become standard, the more you will be able to manipulate them to your own design & know how to alter/break them to give your music your personality.

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by d:

The more you hear the patterns that have become standard, the more you will be able to manipulate them to your own design & know how to alter/break them to give your music your personality.

True enough, but when the singer comes in a morris minor flat, being able to modulate there is really cool! Who cares if its a canned modulation. I used to have a friend who could do that and make it sound intentional!

 

Pru Gibbs are you out there?

[D_dup3]

Well, your ears will take you there, too!

I'm not against study & knowing theory, just against the idea that that is the same as music.

Learn the rules & know how/when to break them!

Let inspiration be part of the "plan"!

[Dan South]

The most popular "formula" is to approach the new key through it's dominant. If your song starts in Db and you want to modulate to D, play an A7 at some point. If you want to then modulate to F, play a C7. Other than that, the only formula I can think of is to choose what SOUNDS right. Pretty good formula, if you ask me!

[Superbobus]

What strikes me is that almost every modulation in pop music is a half step or a whole step up, or sometimes a minor third up. Ever tried modulating a half step down?

[Tusker]

I'd like to enlarge on Dan's excellent point a bit. Yes the dominant is the most common pivot chord:

 

(Modulate from C to A) C, E7, A

 

But you can use less common pivot chords, as long as their resolution appears inevitable. For example, remember the minor fourth (as in C, Em, F, Fm, C) that was so popular in the 50's ballads? Tony Banks used that as a pivot a lot.

 

(Modulate from C to E) C, Am, E

 

where Am is the minor fourth of the new key (E).

 

Banks used to chain this stuff together to modulate from C to E to A flat to C:

 

C, Am, E, C#m, Aflat, Fm, C

 

The related modulation uses the major chord that serves as the sixth in the relative minor.

 

(Modulate from C to A) C, F, A

 

You could do it from the Major fourth (plagal cadence) but it's weaker:

 

(Modulate from C to A) C, D7, A7,

 

where D7 is the fourth of the new key.

 

Might need to go through the changes a couple of times to make it stick, because the Major fourth isn't very strong.

 

The diminished resolution is also very strong so it makes a good pivot,

 

(Modulate from C to A) C, F, Fdim, A

 

In addition to this generalized rule of using familar cadences to get to unfamilar keys you can use common chord/ common note techniques. Pick any chord or note that also functions in another key.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jerry

[Byrdman]

I'm not a church orgonist, but I wish I was. Send me your text, just stick it in my mailbox. Thanks, Kcbass

I ment that I owned a copy rather than I had written it (I wish - its rather cute)

 

I am at home now so here's the deets:

 

"The Organists Atlas of Keys" Howard Zettervall, Lorenz Publishing Co, PO BOx 802, Dayton Ohio 45401-0802,. I don't see an ISBN number anywhere.

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by Superbobus:

What strikes me is that almost every modulation in pop music is a half step or a whole step up, or sometimes a minor third up. Ever tried modulating a half step down?

One way to modulate down a half step is, start on the (old) tonic then play a ii(7) V7 I in the new key. For example: C C#m(7) F#7 B. Or you can start on the (old) V chor, slide up to the (new) vi chord and then continue around the cycle of fourths as before.

[Slowly]

Hey Guys, I'm just soaking this up! Thanks, Kcbass

[Dave Horne]

In so called 'traditional music', the logical choices of destination would be any key that is one sharp or one flat away from the tonic (plus the tonics' relative major or minor).

 

In other words, if you are in C major, the logical choices for modulation are A minor (relative minor of C major), G major or E minor (one sharp away from C major) and F major or D minor (one flat away from C major).

 

Your choices of destination using C major as your primary tonal center, are the diatonic chords of C major (D min, E min, F maj, G maj, A min).

 

Of course, your choice of destination can be any key you want, but the ones I mentioned are'the 'closely related keys' and these would be your first choices in traditional music.

[Dave Horne]

When I wrote 'one flat or one sharp away', I was using C major as the primary tonal center.

 

In Db (five flats), for example, the closely related keys - your first choice of a modulation, would have the key signature of four flats, one less flat than the original key signature (Ab maj / F min) or six flats, one more flat than the original key signature (Gb maj / Eb min). (Plus, of course, Bb min, the relative minor of Db major.)

 

Since I initially used C major, we were forced to use one flat or one sharp, correct?

 

Sorry, to add to the confusion . All the best, Dave

[Superbobus]

For example: C C#m(7) F#7 B

Sonny Rollins - Airegin

In jazz it's pretty common but I really have to think hard to find pop songs that are modulating down. The only one I'm seeing right now is Paradise by the Dashboard Light (from D chromatic ascending to F which is IV in C).

[Botch.]

Originally posted by Superbobus:

For example: C C#m(7) F#7 B

Sonny Rollins - Airegin

In jazz it's pretty common but I really have to think hard to find pop songs that are modulating down. The only one I'm seeing right now is Paradise by the Dashboard Light (from D chromatic ascending to F which is IV in C).

Most of Chicago's recent power ballads would modulate down a minor third, it really became a cliche with them.

[Analogaddict]

II-V:s can take you just about anywhere. Take "Giant steps"; You start with Bmaj7-D7-Gmaj7-Bb7-Ebmaj7-Am9-D7 and continue Gmaj7-Bb7-Ebmaj7-F#13-Bmaj7, and then Fm7-Bb7-Ebmaj7, Am9-D7-Gmaj7, C#m7-F#7-Bmaj7, Fm7-Bb7-Ebmaj7, and then the great sounding C#m11-F#7 back to the tonic. Also, don´t forget "Very Early", which has some of the coolest modulations around. If this feels like a little too much, there is always "Rosanna", which modulates from G to F via C without excuses!

 

/J nas