How to modulate very smoothly and stealthily from major to minor?











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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.










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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















up vote
16
down vote

favorite
5












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.










share|improve this question


















  • 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













up vote
16
down vote

favorite
5









up vote
16
down vote

favorite
5






5





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.










share|improve this question













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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share|improve this question










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














  • 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










6 Answers
6






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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.






share|improve this answer





















  • 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


















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:



enter image description here






share|improve this answer





















  • 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


















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.






share|improve this answer




























    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.






    share|improve this answer




























      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.






      share|improve this answer






























        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.






        share|improve this answer

















        • 4




          All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
          – Tim
          17 hours ago











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        6 Answers
        6






        active

        oldest

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        6 Answers
        6






        active

        oldest

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        active

        oldest

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        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.






        share|improve this answer





















        • 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















        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.






        share|improve this answer





















        • 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













        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.






        share|improve this answer












        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.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        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


















        • 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










        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:



        enter image description here






        share|improve this answer





















        • 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















        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:



        enter image description here






        share|improve this answer





















        • 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













        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:



        enter image description here






        share|improve this answer












        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:



        enter image description here







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        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


















        • 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










        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.






        share|improve this answer

























          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.






          share|improve this answer























            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.






            share|improve this answer












            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.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 23 hours ago









            ggcg

            2,574216




            2,574216






















                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.






                share|improve this answer

























                  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.






                  share|improve this answer























                    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.






                    share|improve this answer












                    Using the notes that make up Bo works well. Diminished harmonies are often used to move out of one diatonic place to another.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered yesterday









                    Tim

                    93k1095236




                    93k1095236






















                        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.






                        share|improve this answer



























                          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.






                          share|improve this answer

























                            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.






                            share|improve this answer














                            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.







                            share|improve this answer














                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer








                            edited 16 hours ago

























                            answered 16 hours ago









                            Michael Curtis

                            3,691322




                            3,691322






















                                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.






                                share|improve this answer

















                                • 4




                                  All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
                                  – Tim
                                  17 hours ago















                                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.






                                share|improve this answer

















                                • 4




                                  All very well and fancy. But OP wants to get to C MINOR.
                                  – Tim
                                  17 hours ago













                                up vote
                                0
                                down vote










                                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.






                                share|improve this answer












                                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.







                                share|improve this answer












                                share|improve this answer



                                share|improve this answer










                                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














                                • 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


















                                 

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