Help with modulation techniques

[FattMusiek]

Hello everyone. I was wondering if you all would be so kind to share your knowledge on modulation. I am familiar with diatonic progressions in major and minor keys, I know a bit about secondary dominants and borrowed chords.

I am just a little lost in how to pull off a smooth modulation. I am interested in some techniques you all have learned over the years...some direction. Perhaps what I'm looking for are tried and true, common points of modulation within a chord progression. I'm also looking for fresh ways to modulate (methods that are not so trite sounding like the V7 of IV).

Thank you for reading and for your time.

[FatJeff]

Entire volumes have been written on this. We spent probably 2 semesters talking about various modulation techniques when I was studying (undergrad) music theory. Some of the ways to move from one tonality to another are:

Common-tone modulation. This is when you move from one key to another by making use of a common tone between two consecutive chords in the different key centers. The best example I've found in the jazz world is in "All The Things You Are". There is a part (in the bridge I think) where an Emaj7 goes to a C7+ (which then acts as the altered V of the original key, F). The common tone there is the G#. That, BTW, is an example of pure jazz compositional genius.

Modulation by sequence. Here you set up a sequence by introducing a melodic or harmonic idea, then simply repeating it in the new tonality. The ear accepts the modulation because of the similarity in the two sections.

Modulation by diminished chord. You probably already know that a fully diminished 7th is really 4 chords in one, depending on which note you opt to select as the "root". Classically, a diminished 7th resolves upward by half-step from its root to its "target," but you can fool the listener and move to a different key by opting to resolve to one of the other 3 chords that a dim7 can move to. For example, let's say you're in Eb. You have a Ddim7 chord - that's the vii7 of Eb. The chord is made up of the notes D F Ab Cb. Instead of using the D as a leading tone to Eb, select one of other other notes in the diminished chord, say, the Ab...now that note acts as a leading tone to the key of B. You've just modulated from a key with 3 flats to a key with 5 sharps.

In jazz, it is very common to just employ direct modulation...moving straight from one key center to another, rather abruptly, w/o preparation. This is not seen so much in the classical world. But it's come to be almost expected in jazz. Many jazz compositions "smooth out" the direct modulation by just sticking a ii-V in front of the new key center. The jazz-savvy ear hears the ii-V and immediately knows what's coming next, even if the new key is distantly related to the old.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Hope that helped out a bit. If you check out a text on classical music theory / composition, you're bound to find a lot more examples of the above, and many more techniques.

[daveg]

The Ted Greene books might help you?

Chord Chemistry and Modern Chord Progressions.

DG

[FattMusiek]

Thanks a lot for the in depth post FatJeff. I will try these things out asap.

[timscarey]

when writing chord progressions, sometimes I like to think of chords as having 2 "sides": where they come from and where thay are going, kind of tough to explain but... let's say.

I start with a CMaj7, I can either be in C or G (I or IV) so I pick a chord to go to... FMaj7, I just put myself in C major.

So then might find myself on an Aminor chord (IV), well I'm coming from C but... Am could be in C,G (II), or F (III).. (or their relative minors) so I might go to the key of F via a Gminor chord which might then go to Bb(IV)

CMaj7-FMaj7-Am7-Gmin7-BbMaj7

Key of C:1-4-6-X-X
Key of F:X-1-3-2-4
Key of Bb:X-X-X-6-1

The Am was diatonic on either "side" but created a non-diatoic chord progression, and acted as a "Pivot Chord" from C to F. Really though, this has a million names and theories. Just some thought on my day off.