How to modulate very smoothly and stealthily from major to minor?
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
I would like to modulate from G major to c minor in such a way that it would be almost unnoticeable to the listener. I'm composing a piece in a style that's very Arvo-Pärtesque minimalist-sounding, so that does limit the chromatic/enharmonic options. The main difficulty seems to be that it's very hard to introduce the E flat without it sounding ever so slightly jarring. The other way round (going stealthily from minor to major) is much easier, for some reason.
harmony modulation styles
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show 2 more comments
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
I would like to modulate from G major to c minor in such a way that it would be almost unnoticeable to the listener. I'm composing a piece in a style that's very Arvo-Pärtesque minimalist-sounding, so that does limit the chromatic/enharmonic options. The main difficulty seems to be that it's very hard to introduce the E flat without it sounding ever so slightly jarring. The other way round (going stealthily from minor to major) is much easier, for some reason.
harmony modulation styles
3
I'd be intrigued to find out why this question has attracted 1000 views. It's a great question, but so prolific!
– Tim
20 hours ago
1
@Tim it may be the somewhat misleading title. I thought it was about a mode change major I to minor i - of course not a modulation - but it's really about modulating to minor iv.
– Michael Curtis
17 hours ago
@Tim I've been wondering about that as well. It's not like there's a shortage of "How to modulate from X to Y?" questions on this stack.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@MichaelCurtis Modulating to minor iv is just an example that came up in my own composing. My whole beef with change of mode from major to minor (whether or not it also involves a change of key note) is that it seems hard to do in a stylistically convincing way, especially in a more "white keys" kind of environment, where chromatic/enharmonic chords would be out of place.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
Just want to point out that the minor iv chord is already a chord that sound natural in a major key, as it is very often borrowed from the parallel minor, and can give the the IV chord dominant function. In fact, I'd argue the more difficult part of a key change in those circumstances is to make it where the ear doesn't want to fall back to the G as tonic. You'll need to get that Ab or Bb in there fairly quickly after modulating.
– trlkly
10 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
I would like to modulate from G major to c minor in such a way that it would be almost unnoticeable to the listener. I'm composing a piece in a style that's very Arvo-Pärtesque minimalist-sounding, so that does limit the chromatic/enharmonic options. The main difficulty seems to be that it's very hard to introduce the E flat without it sounding ever so slightly jarring. The other way round (going stealthily from minor to major) is much easier, for some reason.
harmony modulation styles
I would like to modulate from G major to c minor in such a way that it would be almost unnoticeable to the listener. I'm composing a piece in a style that's very Arvo-Pärtesque minimalist-sounding, so that does limit the chromatic/enharmonic options. The main difficulty seems to be that it's very hard to introduce the E flat without it sounding ever so slightly jarring. The other way round (going stealthily from minor to major) is much easier, for some reason.
harmony modulation styles
harmony modulation styles
asked yesterday
Kim Fierens
33029
33029
3
I'd be intrigued to find out why this question has attracted 1000 views. It's a great question, but so prolific!
– Tim
20 hours ago
1
@Tim it may be the somewhat misleading title. I thought it was about a mode change major I to minor i - of course not a modulation - but it's really about modulating to minor iv.
– Michael Curtis
17 hours ago
@Tim I've been wondering about that as well. It's not like there's a shortage of "How to modulate from X to Y?" questions on this stack.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@MichaelCurtis Modulating to minor iv is just an example that came up in my own composing. My whole beef with change of mode from major to minor (whether or not it also involves a change of key note) is that it seems hard to do in a stylistically convincing way, especially in a more "white keys" kind of environment, where chromatic/enharmonic chords would be out of place.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
Just want to point out that the minor iv chord is already a chord that sound natural in a major key, as it is very often borrowed from the parallel minor, and can give the the IV chord dominant function. In fact, I'd argue the more difficult part of a key change in those circumstances is to make it where the ear doesn't want to fall back to the G as tonic. You'll need to get that Ab or Bb in there fairly quickly after modulating.
– trlkly
10 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
3
I'd be intrigued to find out why this question has attracted 1000 views. It's a great question, but so prolific!
– Tim
20 hours ago
1
@Tim it may be the somewhat misleading title. I thought it was about a mode change major I to minor i - of course not a modulation - but it's really about modulating to minor iv.
– Michael Curtis
17 hours ago
@Tim I've been wondering about that as well. It's not like there's a shortage of "How to modulate from X to Y?" questions on this stack.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@MichaelCurtis Modulating to minor iv is just an example that came up in my own composing. My whole beef with change of mode from major to minor (whether or not it also involves a change of key note) is that it seems hard to do in a stylistically convincing way, especially in a more "white keys" kind of environment, where chromatic/enharmonic chords would be out of place.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
Just want to point out that the minor iv chord is already a chord that sound natural in a major key, as it is very often borrowed from the parallel minor, and can give the the IV chord dominant function. In fact, I'd argue the more difficult part of a key change in those circumstances is to make it where the ear doesn't want to fall back to the G as tonic. You'll need to get that Ab or Bb in there fairly quickly after modulating.
– trlkly
10 hours ago
3
3
I'd be intrigued to find out why this question has attracted 1000 views. It's a great question, but so prolific!
– Tim
20 hours ago
I'd be intrigued to find out why this question has attracted 1000 views. It's a great question, but so prolific!
– Tim
20 hours ago
1
1
@Tim it may be the somewhat misleading title. I thought it was about a mode change major I to minor i - of course not a modulation - but it's really about modulating to minor iv.
– Michael Curtis
17 hours ago
@Tim it may be the somewhat misleading title. I thought it was about a mode change major I to minor i - of course not a modulation - but it's really about modulating to minor iv.
– Michael Curtis
17 hours ago
@Tim I've been wondering about that as well. It's not like there's a shortage of "How to modulate from X to Y?" questions on this stack.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@Tim I've been wondering about that as well. It's not like there's a shortage of "How to modulate from X to Y?" questions on this stack.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@MichaelCurtis Modulating to minor iv is just an example that came up in my own composing. My whole beef with change of mode from major to minor (whether or not it also involves a change of key note) is that it seems hard to do in a stylistically convincing way, especially in a more "white keys" kind of environment, where chromatic/enharmonic chords would be out of place.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@MichaelCurtis Modulating to minor iv is just an example that came up in my own composing. My whole beef with change of mode from major to minor (whether or not it also involves a change of key note) is that it seems hard to do in a stylistically convincing way, especially in a more "white keys" kind of environment, where chromatic/enharmonic chords would be out of place.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
Just want to point out that the minor iv chord is already a chord that sound natural in a major key, as it is very often borrowed from the parallel minor, and can give the the IV chord dominant function. In fact, I'd argue the more difficult part of a key change in those circumstances is to make it where the ear doesn't want to fall back to the G as tonic. You'll need to get that Ab or Bb in there fairly quickly after modulating.
– trlkly
10 hours ago
Just want to point out that the minor iv chord is already a chord that sound natural in a major key, as it is very often borrowed from the parallel minor, and can give the the IV chord dominant function. In fact, I'd argue the more difficult part of a key change in those circumstances is to make it where the ear doesn't want to fall back to the G as tonic. You'll need to get that Ab or Bb in there fairly quickly after modulating.
– trlkly
10 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Within a minimalist sort of setting, one approach I might take would be to boil things down to just the root or root and fifth. If you have a long enough period of time where you don't have a third in the mix, your ear won't be glued to a given tonality and introducing the minor flavor into the mix shouldn't sound as abrupt. You can also start adding in the b7 of the original key before hitting the Eb. Since there is a major mode that has a b7 (Mixolydian), that is the only note that is present in the minor modes that is common with any major modes.
I'm not familiar with Arvo-Pärtesque to be able to say whether or not this approach would be great in that context or not.
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
Eb is certainly a foreigner in G major. To help the ear not to be surprised by it, you could use D# a couple of times as a chromatic passing note from D to E (D > D# > E) in preceding melody. This could be part of an innocuous harmonic progression like I-IV. You could then write a melodic fragment D -> Eb -> G, introducing C minor around G. You could tonicise it then and there, or later.
Mozart was a master of musical puns like this. See how crafty he was in the 24th Piano Concerto:
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
1
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
I would recommend, as a general approach, looking at Max Reger's Modulation. C min is relative to Eb Maj, a cadence from GMaj to Eb Maj could be modified to move to C min in a fairly straight forward manner.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
Using the notes that make up Bo works well. Diminished harmonies are often used to move out of one diatonic place to another.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
A modulation from G major to C minor would be a modulation to the subdominant.
The most straight forward way to to the subdominant is the lower the leading tone and apply it to the tonic chord. In G major, change the F sharp to F natural and add it to the tonic G chord. So the tonic I
chord in G major will become the dominant V7
in C (major or minor.)
The interesting part is your concern about the tone E flat and the possibility it could be jarring.
The vii°7 in G major is F#,A,C,Eb so you could use that to move into G and introduce the E flat. Something like G: vii°7 I Cm: V4/2 i6/3
.
Another possibility is to go to the major IV first then just lower the third to make it minor iv. If that is combined with the G7 you will get a nice chromatic descent F,E,Eb
plus both work with the notion of altering tones by lowering them.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Modulations should make use of pivot chords to make the modulation smooth.
A pivot chord(s) put simply is chords that fit in both the key you are modulating towards and the key you are coming from.
so for instance, if you have a 4 bar phrase in C Major. Let say your phrase ends on an interrupted cadence. Now that six-chord of C major is an a minor chord, this is conveniently also the tonic chord of a minor. Both these chords are a suitable resolution to your cadence.
Now we are in the second chord of your second four bar phrase now you can go to the d minor chord that is again both C:ii and a:iv this is the second pivot chord you can use.
Then finally we would just have an E Major chord with a raised g# tha resolves correctly to now make it clear that we are in a minor. There is nothing that makes modulations as clear as Leading Tones resolving towards a Tonic.
Some modulations lend themselves more towards the use of pivot chords than others but the modulation to the relative minor is an especially easy one to use them with.
4
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Within a minimalist sort of setting, one approach I might take would be to boil things down to just the root or root and fifth. If you have a long enough period of time where you don't have a third in the mix, your ear won't be glued to a given tonality and introducing the minor flavor into the mix shouldn't sound as abrupt. You can also start adding in the b7 of the original key before hitting the Eb. Since there is a major mode that has a b7 (Mixolydian), that is the only note that is present in the minor modes that is common with any major modes.
I'm not familiar with Arvo-Pärtesque to be able to say whether or not this approach would be great in that context or not.
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Within a minimalist sort of setting, one approach I might take would be to boil things down to just the root or root and fifth. If you have a long enough period of time where you don't have a third in the mix, your ear won't be glued to a given tonality and introducing the minor flavor into the mix shouldn't sound as abrupt. You can also start adding in the b7 of the original key before hitting the Eb. Since there is a major mode that has a b7 (Mixolydian), that is the only note that is present in the minor modes that is common with any major modes.
I'm not familiar with Arvo-Pärtesque to be able to say whether or not this approach would be great in that context or not.
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Within a minimalist sort of setting, one approach I might take would be to boil things down to just the root or root and fifth. If you have a long enough period of time where you don't have a third in the mix, your ear won't be glued to a given tonality and introducing the minor flavor into the mix shouldn't sound as abrupt. You can also start adding in the b7 of the original key before hitting the Eb. Since there is a major mode that has a b7 (Mixolydian), that is the only note that is present in the minor modes that is common with any major modes.
I'm not familiar with Arvo-Pärtesque to be able to say whether or not this approach would be great in that context or not.
Within a minimalist sort of setting, one approach I might take would be to boil things down to just the root or root and fifth. If you have a long enough period of time where you don't have a third in the mix, your ear won't be glued to a given tonality and introducing the minor flavor into the mix shouldn't sound as abrupt. You can also start adding in the b7 of the original key before hitting the Eb. Since there is a major mode that has a b7 (Mixolydian), that is the only note that is present in the minor modes that is common with any major modes.
I'm not familiar with Arvo-Pärtesque to be able to say whether or not this approach would be great in that context or not.
answered 18 hours ago
Basstickler
6,0031032
6,0031032
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
add a comment |
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
That sounds like the most convincing way (stylistically speaking) I've read here so far. Just fade out the thirds for a while (or treat them like dissonances as it were) and then gradually bring them back in. Definitely going to try that. Thanks!
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
No problem! I definitely don’t write minimalist music or have a lot of experience there but that makes the most sense to me
– Basstickler
15 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
Eb is certainly a foreigner in G major. To help the ear not to be surprised by it, you could use D# a couple of times as a chromatic passing note from D to E (D > D# > E) in preceding melody. This could be part of an innocuous harmonic progression like I-IV. You could then write a melodic fragment D -> Eb -> G, introducing C minor around G. You could tonicise it then and there, or later.
Mozart was a master of musical puns like this. See how crafty he was in the 24th Piano Concerto:
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
1
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
Eb is certainly a foreigner in G major. To help the ear not to be surprised by it, you could use D# a couple of times as a chromatic passing note from D to E (D > D# > E) in preceding melody. This could be part of an innocuous harmonic progression like I-IV. You could then write a melodic fragment D -> Eb -> G, introducing C minor around G. You could tonicise it then and there, or later.
Mozart was a master of musical puns like this. See how crafty he was in the 24th Piano Concerto:
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
1
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
up vote
16
down vote
Eb is certainly a foreigner in G major. To help the ear not to be surprised by it, you could use D# a couple of times as a chromatic passing note from D to E (D > D# > E) in preceding melody. This could be part of an innocuous harmonic progression like I-IV. You could then write a melodic fragment D -> Eb -> G, introducing C minor around G. You could tonicise it then and there, or later.
Mozart was a master of musical puns like this. See how crafty he was in the 24th Piano Concerto:
Eb is certainly a foreigner in G major. To help the ear not to be surprised by it, you could use D# a couple of times as a chromatic passing note from D to E (D > D# > E) in preceding melody. This could be part of an innocuous harmonic progression like I-IV. You could then write a melodic fragment D -> Eb -> G, introducing C minor around G. You could tonicise it then and there, or later.
Mozart was a master of musical puns like this. See how crafty he was in the 24th Piano Concerto:
answered yesterday
replete
1,516313
1,516313
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
1
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
add a comment |
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
1
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
Thanks for this excellent answer. I think I could jiggle it in as a chromatic passing note. Mozart rocks!
– Kim Fierens
yesterday
1
1
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
Listen to the image: youtu.be/2XlLpZ4erlw?t=447
– bjb568
20 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
I would recommend, as a general approach, looking at Max Reger's Modulation. C min is relative to Eb Maj, a cadence from GMaj to Eb Maj could be modified to move to C min in a fairly straight forward manner.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
I would recommend, as a general approach, looking at Max Reger's Modulation. C min is relative to Eb Maj, a cadence from GMaj to Eb Maj could be modified to move to C min in a fairly straight forward manner.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
I would recommend, as a general approach, looking at Max Reger's Modulation. C min is relative to Eb Maj, a cadence from GMaj to Eb Maj could be modified to move to C min in a fairly straight forward manner.
I would recommend, as a general approach, looking at Max Reger's Modulation. C min is relative to Eb Maj, a cadence from GMaj to Eb Maj could be modified to move to C min in a fairly straight forward manner.
answered 23 hours ago
ggcg
2,574216
2,574216
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
Using the notes that make up Bo works well. Diminished harmonies are often used to move out of one diatonic place to another.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
Using the notes that make up Bo works well. Diminished harmonies are often used to move out of one diatonic place to another.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Using the notes that make up Bo works well. Diminished harmonies are often used to move out of one diatonic place to another.
Using the notes that make up Bo works well. Diminished harmonies are often used to move out of one diatonic place to another.
answered yesterday
Tim
93k1095236
93k1095236
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
A modulation from G major to C minor would be a modulation to the subdominant.
The most straight forward way to to the subdominant is the lower the leading tone and apply it to the tonic chord. In G major, change the F sharp to F natural and add it to the tonic G chord. So the tonic I
chord in G major will become the dominant V7
in C (major or minor.)
The interesting part is your concern about the tone E flat and the possibility it could be jarring.
The vii°7 in G major is F#,A,C,Eb so you could use that to move into G and introduce the E flat. Something like G: vii°7 I Cm: V4/2 i6/3
.
Another possibility is to go to the major IV first then just lower the third to make it minor iv. If that is combined with the G7 you will get a nice chromatic descent F,E,Eb
plus both work with the notion of altering tones by lowering them.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
A modulation from G major to C minor would be a modulation to the subdominant.
The most straight forward way to to the subdominant is the lower the leading tone and apply it to the tonic chord. In G major, change the F sharp to F natural and add it to the tonic G chord. So the tonic I
chord in G major will become the dominant V7
in C (major or minor.)
The interesting part is your concern about the tone E flat and the possibility it could be jarring.
The vii°7 in G major is F#,A,C,Eb so you could use that to move into G and introduce the E flat. Something like G: vii°7 I Cm: V4/2 i6/3
.
Another possibility is to go to the major IV first then just lower the third to make it minor iv. If that is combined with the G7 you will get a nice chromatic descent F,E,Eb
plus both work with the notion of altering tones by lowering them.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
A modulation from G major to C minor would be a modulation to the subdominant.
The most straight forward way to to the subdominant is the lower the leading tone and apply it to the tonic chord. In G major, change the F sharp to F natural and add it to the tonic G chord. So the tonic I
chord in G major will become the dominant V7
in C (major or minor.)
The interesting part is your concern about the tone E flat and the possibility it could be jarring.
The vii°7 in G major is F#,A,C,Eb so you could use that to move into G and introduce the E flat. Something like G: vii°7 I Cm: V4/2 i6/3
.
Another possibility is to go to the major IV first then just lower the third to make it minor iv. If that is combined with the G7 you will get a nice chromatic descent F,E,Eb
plus both work with the notion of altering tones by lowering them.
A modulation from G major to C minor would be a modulation to the subdominant.
The most straight forward way to to the subdominant is the lower the leading tone and apply it to the tonic chord. In G major, change the F sharp to F natural and add it to the tonic G chord. So the tonic I
chord in G major will become the dominant V7
in C (major or minor.)
The interesting part is your concern about the tone E flat and the possibility it could be jarring.
The vii°7 in G major is F#,A,C,Eb so you could use that to move into G and introduce the E flat. Something like G: vii°7 I Cm: V4/2 i6/3
.
Another possibility is to go to the major IV first then just lower the third to make it minor iv. If that is combined with the G7 you will get a nice chromatic descent F,E,Eb
plus both work with the notion of altering tones by lowering them.
edited 16 hours ago
answered 16 hours ago
Michael Curtis
3,691322
3,691322
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Modulations should make use of pivot chords to make the modulation smooth.
A pivot chord(s) put simply is chords that fit in both the key you are modulating towards and the key you are coming from.
so for instance, if you have a 4 bar phrase in C Major. Let say your phrase ends on an interrupted cadence. Now that six-chord of C major is an a minor chord, this is conveniently also the tonic chord of a minor. Both these chords are a suitable resolution to your cadence.
Now we are in the second chord of your second four bar phrase now you can go to the d minor chord that is again both C:ii and a:iv this is the second pivot chord you can use.
Then finally we would just have an E Major chord with a raised g# tha resolves correctly to now make it clear that we are in a minor. There is nothing that makes modulations as clear as Leading Tones resolving towards a Tonic.
Some modulations lend themselves more towards the use of pivot chords than others but the modulation to the relative minor is an especially easy one to use them with.
4
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Modulations should make use of pivot chords to make the modulation smooth.
A pivot chord(s) put simply is chords that fit in both the key you are modulating towards and the key you are coming from.
so for instance, if you have a 4 bar phrase in C Major. Let say your phrase ends on an interrupted cadence. Now that six-chord of C major is an a minor chord, this is conveniently also the tonic chord of a minor. Both these chords are a suitable resolution to your cadence.
Now we are in the second chord of your second four bar phrase now you can go to the d minor chord that is again both C:ii and a:iv this is the second pivot chord you can use.
Then finally we would just have an E Major chord with a raised g# tha resolves correctly to now make it clear that we are in a minor. There is nothing that makes modulations as clear as Leading Tones resolving towards a Tonic.
Some modulations lend themselves more towards the use of pivot chords than others but the modulation to the relative minor is an especially easy one to use them with.
4
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
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Modulations should make use of pivot chords to make the modulation smooth.
A pivot chord(s) put simply is chords that fit in both the key you are modulating towards and the key you are coming from.
so for instance, if you have a 4 bar phrase in C Major. Let say your phrase ends on an interrupted cadence. Now that six-chord of C major is an a minor chord, this is conveniently also the tonic chord of a minor. Both these chords are a suitable resolution to your cadence.
Now we are in the second chord of your second four bar phrase now you can go to the d minor chord that is again both C:ii and a:iv this is the second pivot chord you can use.
Then finally we would just have an E Major chord with a raised g# tha resolves correctly to now make it clear that we are in a minor. There is nothing that makes modulations as clear as Leading Tones resolving towards a Tonic.
Some modulations lend themselves more towards the use of pivot chords than others but the modulation to the relative minor is an especially easy one to use them with.
Modulations should make use of pivot chords to make the modulation smooth.
A pivot chord(s) put simply is chords that fit in both the key you are modulating towards and the key you are coming from.
so for instance, if you have a 4 bar phrase in C Major. Let say your phrase ends on an interrupted cadence. Now that six-chord of C major is an a minor chord, this is conveniently also the tonic chord of a minor. Both these chords are a suitable resolution to your cadence.
Now we are in the second chord of your second four bar phrase now you can go to the d minor chord that is again both C:ii and a:iv this is the second pivot chord you can use.
Then finally we would just have an E Major chord with a raised g# tha resolves correctly to now make it clear that we are in a minor. There is nothing that makes modulations as clear as Leading Tones resolving towards a Tonic.
Some modulations lend themselves more towards the use of pivot chords than others but the modulation to the relative minor is an especially easy one to use them with.
answered 19 hours ago
Neil Meyer
8,60622648
8,60622648
4
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
add a comment |
4
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
4
4
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
– Tim
17 hours ago
add a comment |
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3
I'd be intrigued to find out why this question has attracted 1000 views. It's a great question, but so prolific!
– Tim
20 hours ago
1
@Tim it may be the somewhat misleading title. I thought it was about a mode change major I to minor i - of course not a modulation - but it's really about modulating to minor iv.
– Michael Curtis
17 hours ago
@Tim I've been wondering about that as well. It's not like there's a shortage of "How to modulate from X to Y?" questions on this stack.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
@MichaelCurtis Modulating to minor iv is just an example that came up in my own composing. My whole beef with change of mode from major to minor (whether or not it also involves a change of key note) is that it seems hard to do in a stylistically convincing way, especially in a more "white keys" kind of environment, where chromatic/enharmonic chords would be out of place.
– Kim Fierens
15 hours ago
Just want to point out that the minor iv chord is already a chord that sound natural in a major key, as it is very often borrowed from the parallel minor, and can give the the IV chord dominant function. In fact, I'd argue the more difficult part of a key change in those circumstances is to make it where the ear doesn't want to fall back to the G as tonic. You'll need to get that Ab or Bb in there fairly quickly after modulating.
– trlkly
10 hours ago