Modulation

[Fleetwood Mac]

Well, the necessity of understanding "modulation" has now entered my musical journey, but I'm a little confused on how to make this work. A little more specific, what if I was trying to create a chord progression using two keys, say Cmaj and Ebmaj. I know the chords that harmonize with the 12 major keys, but what sounds best in an actual song? If I was to use the chords Cmaj, Fmaj, and Am from the key of Cmaj; and the chords Fm, Gm, and Cm from the key of Ebmaj. Is it usual to play, for example, the Cmaj chords together in one section of the music, and the chords from Ebmaj in another section, or could I mix all of the chords from both keys together? And if I did would they be harmonious? I'm confused how harmony works when a song moves in and out of different keys. I'm even having a hard time explaining my question. My confusion is obvious. Anyone care to take a stab at this?

Thanks so much.

[Bossaking]

Hey F.M.

Your example of CMaj to EbMaj, a minor 3rd modualtion, is something that I would not usually use in a modualtion example but that is because it sounds crazy to me...LOL!

However, doing a little research, I found that Stone actually sited a minor 3rd modulation using Frank Zappa as an example of a composer that has used it...so, you're certainly in good company! Although, I think he was referring to riff style modulation rather than chords.

To answer your question about when to use the modulation...well...in the end, it is up to you and your ears! What effect are you trying to convey by switching from CMaj to EbMaj? Often times, the verse of a song might be in one key and then the chorus might be in another. Extended from that, you might find the verse in one key with the bridge modulating to another key and then the chorus modulating back.

One way to express the modulation is through the use of V7 chords. Because the V7 chord is exclusive to one key, the use of that V7 chord strongly suggests the new key. Here's a suggestion using your chords as an example but adding the V7 of each key as a way to show the modulation...



C Major / F Major / A minor / A minor
C Major / F Major / A minor / Bb7
F Minor / F minor / C minor / C minor
F Minor / F minor / G Minor / G 7



The Bb7 is the V7 of EbMaj and likewise, the G7 is the V7 of CMaj. Especially in the case of going from the end of the tunbe back to the beginning, the G7 strongly suggests that the key has returned to CMaj.

Of course, this is just one way to modulate.
A couple of other examples are 4ths/5ths modualtion, this is where that Circle of 5ths comes in handy and Relative Major/minor modulation.

Well, I hope that helps a little. I am sure others will chime in here!

BK

[dmt]

A good first step for trying modulation might be to write a song with a closing, repeated chorus type of outro. A joyful or glorious type of ending would be an obvious candidate. When you get to the end of the song, modulate the closing repeated chorus up to a key that makes you sing it higher. This enhances the drama of the closing section and should send the song soaring heavenward as you gloriously repeat your chorus again and again! (You could finally modulate back down so you end on the home chord of your original key, to bring the tune back down to Earth, if you so desire).

By starting with endings, you should easily begin to get a feel for the effect a key change can have on a song. After that, try applying them elsewhere. Listen for key changes in songs you like (or just happen to be listening to) and try to use them similarly in your own songs. Most importantly note the effects - especially as it relates to emotional effect and mood.

BTW, too many key changes can easily make your songs start to sound like "show tunes" (the music of Broadway musicals - imagine Liza Minelli belting it out!), so use them with "some taste and some restraint". It's probably okay to go wild with 'em in the learning stages, just to get a feel for them though.

Although I haven't looked at his songs in a while, I think Paul Simon is a guy who will throw in just a one to a few chord modulation in the middle of a song, so subtly, the listener won't even conciously notice. He'll just use it to emphasise a word or phrase.

I'll be interested in reading other responses as I'm actually only a beginner modulator myself!

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hey BK, and dmt. You guys always help me out--I appreciate, so much, your input. Thanks!

I definitely have a clearer understanding, but I'm still wondering if you could take chords, from both keys, and mix them together harmoniously? I still have to learn to trust my own ear.

BK, the examples I used came from looking at two sheets of paper, one with sharp key sigs, and one with flat key sigs, and I picked those keys, randomly, having no idea how they would sound together. So I'm no Frank Zappa (that's for sure).

Also, is it true that if I modulated just a fifth, as in Cmaj to Gmaj, it would be much smoother and less noticeable?

Great ideas dmt! Very helpful. Cool examples too. So, can I safely say, as a general rule only, that key changes are the most effective during a bridge and choruses?

[Bossaking]

Hey F.M.!

That's what this site is all about! DMT did give a great suggestion about using modulation sparingly...sounding like a musical LOL!!!

As far as the easiest modulation, The 4th and 5th is one of the easiest because there is only one note difference between the keys...Eg;

C Maj - G Maj

C D E F G A B
G A B C D E F#

C Maj - F Maj

C D E F G A B
F G A Bb C D E

Of course, modulation to a relative Major/minor is even better because the exact same notes are used...Eg;

C Maj - A min

There are more rules than you would believe about when to use and when not to use modulation. Keeping true to the tonal center and resloving to the correct tonic and BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!! LOL!!!

Seriously though, there are suggestions, like using the V7 of the new key, on how to best accomplish a move from one key to another. Another popular method in jazz is the ii-V-I progression into the next key. IOW, you're jamming along in CMaj and you want to modulate to EbMaj. So, at the appropriate time you'd play Fmin7 - Bb7 - Eb
The ears are now totally primed to hear EbMaj now.

As Stone has said, you can really modualte from anywhere to anywhere, but he's listened to alot of Zappa...his words, not mine! :-)
It really is all up to what you like to hear. However, having some guidelines can help you find those chords you are searching for.

Good Luck!
BK

[Fleetwood Mac]

Great stuff BK!

If I used my noggin a little I should have been able to deduce that if you take two scales and one of them has only one note that is different, then switching between them would be smoother than switching between Cmaj and F#maj (for example), but it probably would have taken me a long time to realize that without your explanation.

Excellent suggestions on moving smoothly from key to key.

I had reached a plateau in my knowledge, but now it's back to studying and practicing anew.

Music seems to offer endless challenges.

Thanks again!

[StoneDragon]

FM,

To answer your unanswered question.... Yes, you can intermix chords from different keys to get some great sounding music... or strange sounding music... depending on the strength of the melody.

Scott Henderson is a master of this sort of thing IMHO. If you listen to some of his composing on earlier Tribal Tech albums, you can hear what seems to be a totally coherent melody with totally coherent harmony... but when you try to analyze how he did it, you come face-to-face with the fact that he used a C major scale for the melody, but he harmonized each note of the melody with a chord that has absolutely nothing to do with the C Major scale and none of the chords have anything to do with each other.

It boggles my mind http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/movingeyes.gif


Don't be afraid to experiment. Even if the experiment fails miserably, you'll undoubtedly learn something valuable from trying.


Bossaking,

Re Frank Zappa modulations...

He did it a lot with key centers/chord progressions as well as riffs.... and not always to get a bizzare sound.

Listen to Peaches En Regalia (arguably one of Zappa's most easy-to-listen-to and popular compositions - see tab here (http://www.jmdl.com/howard/music/tab/peaches.txt)). The third theme (the one after the intro and the main melody) is built around a chordal figure that modulates from Bm to Dm to Fm before moving into the fourth section.

The "Easy, teenage, New York version" of 'The Black Page' (impossibly complicated melody/percussion piece arranged over a disco vamp in the bass and simple chordal accompaniment on piano) uses a similar structure. The opening theme modulates from G Lydian to Bb Lydian and the same rhythmic structure (different melody) is repeated a short time later in Db Lydian modulating to E Lydian.

Taken as a whole, he used a succession of minor 3rd modulations: G - Bb - Db - E.

I could probably pull up a dozen other examples pretty easy. That seems to be a device he relied on regularly. It's a sound that I find very pleasing and was using in my own writing before knowing much about Zappa... which could be a major reason that I loved Zappa's stuff so much.


DMT,

Re show tunes...

hahaha.... I never thought about it that way, but you nailed it!

I played bass in a local theatre production of 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' and if I wasn't on my toes, those modulations would kill me every time. It seems like you were modulating practically every couple of bars in every tune.