Modulating: Just jumping into a new key?

[ansthenia]

Hello everyone

 

So I was just messing around learning the melody/chords to this song and noticed it changes key a few times.

 

 

Starts in E minor

1:05 - G minor

1:19 - D minor

1:26 - F minor

1:32 - B minor

1:58 - D minor

etc... haven't done the rest.

 

It just jumps straight into them and the whole thing sounds incredibly smooth. Is there any sort of rule or tip to make sudden key changes as smooth as they are in this piece?

 

Thanks for your time

[peachboy]

Hello,

 

Perhaps a music theory bod can give a full analysis but here's my take on it:-

 

The change from E minor to G minor is what I'd regard as a classic "step-up" routine - it's basically a transposition up of a minor 3rd, and for a genre like this provides a very nice way of pitching the gear up a little. If this was some kind of basic loop, you could even pitch it up again by the same interval to a Bb minor, and then again to a Db minor, and again back to the E minor (octave). Have a play around on a keyboard with those chords in succession, and you should instantly be able to hear that perpetual cinematic "step up" feel.

 

So we're in G minor, and now the composer changes to a D minor. This is a strong change as D minor is the minor dominant of G minor (a change known for it's bleak nihilistic qualities), but also is the 7th of E minor (which is our original root).

 

The minor root - minor 7th relationship is a strong one in itself and I often think of this as a kind of cinematic journey loop. It's also used a lot in Latin, Salsa, and Jazz Funk. If you play around with just those two chords (E minor and D minor) in perpetual succession it feels as though you're on an infinite journey of extreme importance - through an everlasting tundra of mystery and uncertain fate.

 

So we're on D minor and everything pertaining to what's happened thus far has been reasoned and well thought out; not only that but we're still "close to home" and is only a small journey through the tundra to get back to our original tonic, E minor.

 

But, we're not going home. Where are we going? We're going further into the conspiracy, as the composer decides to invoke aformentioned "step-up" routine, the minor-3rd, this time taking us from the D minor up to F minor.

 

This is interesting, because for the first time we are now in a harmonically different universe. F minor is harmonically completely alien to E minor (our home planet) being only a semi-tone apart, and yet ironically, the fact that it is only a semi-tone apart means that the whole momentum has taken on a new variety of step-up.....the whole chassis has moved up a semi-tone.

 

It's probably important to note that it would be extremely cheap tacky and yucky to move straight from E minor to F minor - I mean it's not impossible - but I wouldn't make a meal out of it. And yet it has indeed happened, quite successfully - not by a jump to the side, but instead by a series of well thought out chess moves....and here we are.

 

The next thing that happens is pretty epic and introduces a new move thus far not seen. F minor to B minor - this is a tritone interval, and I like to call it the "Back to the Future" manoeuvre as Alan Silvestri tends to use it a lot both in it's major and minor variety. It's a very magical, majestic, weird devils chord thing to do. Another way of thinking about it is "two lots" of the aforemention step-up routine, as a tritone is basically two overlapping minor thirds, and we could have gotten there by F minor - Ab Minor - B minor, but alas instead we jumped through the space-time continuum via Flying DeLorean.

 

Interestingly, as far through space and time that we have come, we are still only a short drive from home, as B minor is the minor dominant of E minor.

 

So here we are, in B minor. Now what does the composer do? Well he envokes the aforementioned (and now becoming commonplace) "step-up" routine to take us to D minor. Brilliant move! Not only is this starting to give the overall trend of "perpetually stepping up while actually not" (like an impossible staircase), but for the first time in the piece, we're revisiting a place we have been before, allowing a sense of familiarity - D minor - which as we've experienced before, is just a small salsa step back home to E minor.

 

I didn't listen to the rest.

 

Hope that helps.

[Eriksimon]

Peachboy, I have a feeling you might enjoy watching this tonight:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p3c8w

[peachboy]

Peachboy, I have a feeling you might enjoy watching this tonight:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p3c8w

 

Thanks. Looks interesting.

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

Peachboy, I have a feeling you might enjoy watching this tonight:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p3c8w

 

Ooh, thanks Erik!

 

Peachboy, just noticed you're in Bristol, do you play live?

[peachboy]

Peachboy, just noticed you're in Bristol, do you play live?

 

Alas not - I'm a studio hermit! You play live in Bristol then?

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

Peachboy, just noticed you're in Bristol, do you play live?

 

Alas not - I'm a studio hermit! You play live in Bristol then?

 

I have gigged here, but none planned at the moment. Too busy with my studio hermit projects!

[redlogic]

(a change known for it's bleak nihilistic qualities)

 

...it feels as though you're on an infinite journey of extreme importance - through an everlasting tundra of mystery and uncertain fate.

 

not only that but we're still "close to home" and is only a small journey through the tundra to get back to our original tonic, E minor.

 

But, we're not going home. Where are we going? We're going further into the conspiracy

 

This is interesting, because for the first time we are now in a harmonically different universe. F minor is harmonically completely alien to E minor (our home planet)...

 

It's probably important to note that it would be extremely cheap tacky and yucky to move straight from E minor to F minor - I mean it's not impossible - but I wouldn't make a meal out of it

 

F minor to B minor - this is a tritone interval, and I like to call it the "Back to the Future" manoeuvre...

 

It's a very magical, majestic, weird devils chord thing to do.

 

...but alas instead we jumped through the space-time continuum via Flying DeLorean.

 

Interestingly, as far through space and time that we have come, we are still only a short drive from home, as B minor is the minor dominant of E minor.

 

Not only is this starting to give the overall trend of "perpetually stepping up while actually not" (like an impossible staircase)...

 

...D minor - which as we've experienced before, is just a small salsa step back home to E minor.

 

GREAT!

I absolutely LUV these descriptive morsels!

[ansthenia]

Thanks for the in depth analysis Peachboy

[efiebke]

Describe (or analyze) the "modulating" chord progression anyway you want. . . the music just sounds nice.

 

I like the analysis by Peachboy! Very cool!

 

__________________________________________

 

Is there any sort of rule or tip to make sudden key changes as smooth as they are in this piece?

 

(I'm attempting to recall music theory learned 30+ years ago. . . . .)

 

Nope. No "rules" that I can remember. But then I say "no" to "rules" almost every time when "rules" are applied to music. There might be "rules" to consider if someone attempts to write a period piece (Classic Period, Baroque Period, etc.), otherwise I'd say that there're simply "methods" of analyzing music. For example, there's this familiar way of analyzing a chord progression using roman numerals: "I-vi-ii-V-I". Then there's THIS way of analyzing that same chord progression: "That progression is a 'cliche' that's been used over and over again in almost every style of music known to man-kind". LOL! Then there's Peachboy's way of analyzing that very same chord progression: "It's a happy spot in the song when the warm sun rises in the east, again, and melts away the cold frost on the grass."

 

I used to love "analyzing" music during my music college years. For me, it was a fun and interesting way to learn and grow as a composer.

 

Again, nice piece.

[ansthenia]

I was doing some more messing around with changing keys and learning the chords/melodies to some more FF songs and I've noticed some jumps lean towards certain minor/major sounding modes.

 

For example I noticed in this track the jump from C#m to D Lydian (I know you don't need me to post a track to know what I'm talking about, but some decent music never hurt anyone )

 

 

 

2:14 - C# Minor

2:18 - D Lydian

 

I was messing around with it and found that going into D major instead of D Lydian actually sounds more dissonant because of the G, While D Lydian has only 1 difference from C#m: D# - D. If you wanted the same group of notes but keep it in Aeolian you could move the harmony to F# instead of D.

 

I know I'm probably making myself look like a moron by going on about extremely simple stuff...it's probably common sense to most people with any level of music theory higher than 0. But this is a huge discovery for me, I'm pretty exited I've always known what the modes are and how they're created, but I never really understood how I could utilize them. This seems to be a fantastic way to use them.

 

I noticed a similar thing here, G Mixolydian straight into A# Lydian:

 

 

0:26 - G Mixolydian

0:44 - A# Lydian

 

I know it can be analyzed as the Bb at 0:44 simply being a borrowed chord from Gm. But thinking about it as a key change helps me with seeing how I can use the different modes .

 

It was great when I found out you could just jump keys within the same mode and still sound smooth and consistent (like the first track I posted in the original post) but now I can be jumping keys AND using all the different modes while still being just as smooth and fluid! WOOH! Think I'm gonna pull an all-nighter and write a banging tune 8) To think I have been composing for 3 years and didn't understand such simple basics.

[Beer Moth]

[Eriksimon]

[peachboy]

 

Hah! Meet the Flintstones!! Love it.

[Beer Moth]

My sediments entirely.

[efiebke]

Beer Moth - Very Funny! LOL!

 

Honestly? "The Theory Song" of yours is one of the most clever things I've read/heard in a long while. Very cool!! Also, I love that Holiday song. (Don't remember the original title, off hand.) It's just a great tune.

[peachboy]

Also, I love that Holiday song. (Don't remember the original title, off hand.) It's just a great tune.

 

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, although I think the title is called something else.

[Beer Moth]

Children roasting on an open fire...

 

And it's not 'mine'.

[efiebke]

My wife used to sing, "Ted's nuts roasting on an open fire. . . " LOL!

 

 

 

(The title of the tune is "The Christmas Song". Just listened to Nat King Cole sing it as presented on YouTube. It's just a beautiful tune no matter who sings it and no matter the lyrics used. )

[ansthenia]

This is the most clever thing I've ever read regarding music theory:

 

"So a C, an E-flat and a G walk into a bar. The bartender says, "sorry, but we don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.

A D comes in and heads for the bathroom saying, "Excuse me. I'll just be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight."

E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, "you're looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural. Eventually, C, who had passed out under the bar the night before, begins to sober up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest.

So, C goes to trial, is convicted of contributing to the diminution of a minor and sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an up scale correctional facility. The conviction is overturned on appeal, however, and C is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all accusations to the contrary are bassless.

The bartender decides, however, that since he's only had tenor so patrons, the soprano out in the bathroom and everything has become alto much treble, he needs a rest and closes the bar."