Add more variety and moods to your songwriting by learning these 8 tried and true methods for easy key changes.
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Changing from one key to another is known as modulation. Modulation can be used to:
Any key can modulate to any other key but some will be more jarring than others. In this section we’ll explore a few common methods to get you started.
Abruptness: Low
How To: Starting in a Major Key, insert a Minor 2-5-1 progression with the ‘1’ being the tonic of the relative key you want to modulate to. The diminished chord of the original key is used as the ‘pivot chord’ to begin the modulation.
Example: C Major to A Minor
Abruptness: Low
How To: Starting in a Major Key, insert a Minor 2-5-1 progression with the ‘1’ being the tonic of the target key (and currently the mediant of your original key). This modulation uses the tritone of the original key as the ‘pivot chord.’
Example: C Major to E Minor
Abruptness: Low
How To: Modulate to another key that shares a common chord. This common chord is used as the pivot to begin the modulation.
Example: G Major to D Major
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Abruptness: Moderate
How To: Establish the vi as the tonic of the target key following the V of the original key.
Example: C Major to A Minor
Abruptness: Moderate
How To: Use the V7 of the original key to pivot to the i of the parallel key since both keys share the same dominant chord (if the minor key borrows from the Harmonic Minor scale).
Example: C Major to C Minor
Abruptness: Moderate
How To: Use the secondary dominant of your target key’s tonic as the pivot chord.
Example: C Major to G Major
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Abruptness: Moderate
How To: This modulation requires a bit of forward thinking as the Diminished Seventh and Dominant Seventh chords work together to approach the modulation.
Example: C Major to E♭ Major
Abruptness: High
How To: In this ‘no rules’ modulation, you can play any chord that exists in the target key but isn’t found in the original key to introduce a modulation. This can be a very jarring technique but enables you to modulate to any key you want.
Example: C Major to G♭ Major
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