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Improvisation1. Scale Degrees – major / minor (natural / harmonic / melodic)2. Chord Qualities3. Chord Scales / Diatonic Chords

4. Primary Chords• I Tonic• IV subdominant• V dominant

5. Secondary chords• VI submediant• II supertonic• III mediant• VII subtonic / leading tone (note)

6. Substituted chords = chords with 2 or more commontones

7. Fundamental chord = chords in root position8. Inverted chord = chords inversion / inverted

position9. Chord Tones10. Non Chord Tones (Decoration / Embellishment)

• Diatonic / Chromatic

• Unaccented - - - - - - - - - - -

• Accented - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• passing tone(s)• auxiliary (neighbor tone)• neighbor group (changing

tones)  • appoggiatura• anticipation• retardation• suspension

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11. Altered chords = 7th chords which some chord tonesare altered to

upper/ lower pitches by half steps tochange their color or functions

(An altered chord is a diatonic triad orseventh chord that has had one or morepitches lowered or raised by a half step. By

lowering or raising (altering) the chord toneyou change the character and color of thechord. Depending on what pitches youchange, you can even change itsfunction.)1

12. Chord Progression• opening (approach- - - - preparation chord – cadence)• Pedal point•

Circle of 5th

13. Keys (key center / home key)• Major / minor

 Tonicization (key of the moment)

= the treatment of a pitch other than the overalltonic as a temporary tonic in a composition.

 Tonicization is achieved through the use of the scaleand harmonies of the tonicized key.

• How to: The most common method of tonicization uses

o leading tones,o dominant – tonic chord progressionso combination (of leading tones + dominant-tonic chord

progressions)

 Tonicized chord is a chord to which a secondary dominant

progresses- relate to the key of the chord which follows (key of themoment)but do not effect a modulation.

15. ModulationIf a chord is treated as the tonic for longer than aphrase then the treatment is considered amodulation.

• Closely related key (by the circle of 5th / relative key)• Remote/distant key

o Parallel keyo  Third relationo Step

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• How to:o Direct modulation (clear cut)o (using) Pivot chord (= common chord modulation /

diatonic pivot chord modulation)o (using) Dominant 7th chord (& various alteration of 

dom. 7th)

6. Musical Devices• Imitation• Repetition• Sequences - - - - - - - >• Canon• Inversion• Retrogradation• Diminution• Augmentation

17. Phrasingpulse accented & unaccented beats  cell motive / figure phrase passage(=paragraph) section movement piece

• Regular / irregular phrasing• Beginning

o Harmonic - tonic chord / approach chordo Accent - on the 1st beat / anacrusis (upbeat / pickup

notes)• Ending

o Harmonic - cadences (perfect / imperfect/ plagal/interrupted)

o Accent - feminine ending / masculine ending- long note / rest / pause / hold / link (bridge)

18. Structure / Form• Introduction• Link / transition / bridge• Coda• Basic forms

o Sectional formo (Simple) Binary

formo (simple) Ternary

form

o Rounded binaryform

o Compound binary formo Compound ternary formo Rondo formo Variations

o Strophic form

Sequences:• real• tonal• modified• false• modulating (in circle of 

5th)

• rising (ascending)• fallin descendin

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19. Other elements•  Time• Rhythm• Dynamics

• Articulations• Ornaments

Reference:http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/music-theory/guitar-chords-piano-1/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_form

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_chord_(music) http://www.tpub.com/harmony/37.htm  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonicization 

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Musical form

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThought-form of the Music of  Gounod , according to Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater  inThought Forms (1901)

The term musical form refers to the overall structure or plan of a piece of music,[1] and it describes the layout of acomposition as divided into sections.[2] In the tenth edition of The Oxford Companion to Music , Percy

Scholes defines musical form as "a series of strategies designed to find a successful mean between the oppositeextremes of unrelieved repetition and unrelieved alteration."[3]

Musicologist Richard Middleton describes form through repetition and difference: difference is the distance movedfrom a repeat; a repeat being the smallest difference. Difference is quantitative and qualitative; how far differentand what type of difference. According to Middleton, musical form is "the shape or structure of the work." In manycases, form depends on statement and restatement, unity and variety, contrast and connection.[4]

Levels of organizationThe founding level of musical form can be divided into two parts:

The arrangement of the pulse into accented and unaccented beats, the cells of a measure that,when harmonized, may give rise to a motif or  figure.

The further organization of such a measure, by repetition and variation, into a true musical phrase havinga definite rhythm and duration that may be implied in melody and harmony, defined, for example, by along final note and a breathing space. This "phrase" may be regarded as the fundamental formal unit of music: it may be broken down into measures of two or three beats, but its distinctive nature will then belost. Even at this level, the importance of the principles of repetition and contrast, weak and strong, climaxand repose, can be seen.[5] (See also: Meter (music)) Thus, form may be understood on three levels of organization. For the purpose of this exposition, these levels can be roughly designatedas passage, piece, and cycle.

PassageThe smallest level of construction concerns the way musical phrases are organized into musical sentences and"paragraphs" such as theverse of a song. This may be compared to, and is often decided by, the verse-form or 

meter of the words or the steps of a dance.[citation needed ]

For example, the twelve bar blues is a specific verse form, while common meter is found in many hymns andballads and, again, the Elizabethan galliard, like many dances, requires a certain rhythm, pace and length of melody to fit its repeating pattern of steps. Simpler styles of music may be more or less wholly defined at this levelof form, which therefore does not differ greatly from the loose sense first mentioned and which may carry with itrhythmic, harmonic, timbral, occasional and melodic conventions.

In the analysis of musical form, any components that can be defined on the time axis (such as sections and units)are conventionally designated by letters. Upper-case letters are used for the most fundamental, while lower-case letters are used for sub-divisions. If one such section returns in a varied or modified form, a numericaldigit or an appropriate number of  prime symbols appears after the letter. Even at this simplest level, there arepatterns that may be re-used on larger time-scales. For example:

The following verse is composed of two differently-rhymed couplets (AABB), and thus its organization is binary or "twofold".Twinkle, twinkle, little star,How I wonder what you are.Up above the world so high,like a diamond in the sky.

However, in the verse below, there is a rhyme repeated in the second line, then a variant in the third line, two half-lines sharing a new rhyme, followed by a final return to the first arrangement in the last line (AABA), and thus itsorganization is ternary form or "threefold".There once was a fellow from LeedsWho swallowed a packet of seeds.

In less than an hour he burst into flower  And he died trying to pull up the weeds.However, as music educator  Stewart Macpherson stated, there is a preference at all levels of musicalorganization for groupings of two, four, eight over other divisions, so that even a ternary form is often extended byrepetition of the first subject into a "fourfold" structure. Composers can be on guard against excessive"squareness".[6]

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PieceThe next level concerns the entire structure of any single self-contained musical piece. If the hymn, ballad, bluesor dance alluded to above simply repeats the same musical material indefinitely then the piece is said to bein strophic form overall. If it repeats with distinct, sustained changes each time, for instance in setting,ornamentation or instrumentation, then the piece is a theme and variations. If two distinctly different themes arealternated indefinitely, as in a song alternating verse and chorus or in the alternating slow and fast sections of theHungarian czardas, then this gives rise to a simple binary form. If the theme is played (perhaps twice), then a newtheme is introduced, the piece then closing with a return to the first theme, we have a simple ternary form.Great confusion, argument and misunderstanding can be generated by such terms as 'ternary' and 'binary', as a

complex piece may have elements of both at different organizational levels.[citation needed ] A minuet, like any Baroquedance, generally had simple binary structure (AABB), however, this was frequently extended bythe introduction of another minuet arranged for solo instruments (called the trio), after which the first was repeatedagain and the piece ended—this is a ternary form—ABA: the piece is binary on the lower compositional level butternary on the higher. Organisational levels are not clearly and universally defined in western musicology, whilewords like "section" and "passage" are used at different levels by different scholars whose definitions, as Scholesand others[who? ] point out, cannot keep pace with the myriad innovations and variations devised by musicians.

CycleThe grandest level of organization may be referred to as "cyclical form". It concerns the arrangement of severalself-contained pieces into a large-scale composition. For example, a set of songs with a related theme may bepresented as a song-cycle, whereas a set of Baroque dances were presented as a suite. 

The opera and ballet may organize song and dance into even larger forms. This level of musical form, though itagain applies and gives rise to different genres, takes more account of the methods of musical organisation used.For example: asymphony, a concerto and a sonata differ in scale and aim, yet generally resemble one another inthe manner of their organization. The individual pieces which make up the larger form may be called movements.

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Single formsScholes suggested that European classical music had only six stand-alone forms: simple binary, simpleternary, compound binary, rondo, air with variations, and fugue. However, musicologist Alfred Mann,emphasized that the fugue is primarily a method of composition that has sometimes taken on certainstructural conventions.[7]

Where a piece cannot readily be broken down into sectional units (though it might borrow some formfrom a poem, story or programme), it is said to be through-composed. Such is often the case with piecesnamed Fantasia, Prelude, Rhapsody, Etude or study, Symphonic poem,Bagatelle, Impromptu, etc.[citation

needed ] Professor Charles Keil classified forms and formal detail as "sectional, developmental, or variational."[8]

Sectional formMain article: Sectional formThis form is built from a sequence of clear-cut units[9] that may be referred to by letters as outlined abovebut also often have generic names such as Introduction and Coda, Exposition, Developmentand recapitulation, verse, chorus or refrain, and bridge. Introductions and codas, when they are no morethan that, are frequently excluded from formal analysis. All such units may typically be eight measureslong. Sectional forms include:

Strophic formMain article: Strophic formThis form is defined by its "unrelieved repetition" (AAAA...). Medley, potpourri or Chain form: this is theopposite extreme of "unrelieved variation": it is simply an indefinite sequence of self-contained sections(ABCD...), sometimes with repeats (AABBCCDD...). Orchestral overtures are sometimes no more than astring of the best tunes of the show to come, such as in Johann Strauss' Blue Danube waltz, which endswith a reprise of the main theme ((intro)ABCD...A1(coda)).

Binary formMain article: Binary formThis form uses two sections (AB...); each section is often repeated (AABB...). In 18th-century westernclassical music, "simple binary" form was often used for dances and carried with it the convention thatthe two sections should be in different musical keys but maintain the same rhythm, duration and tone.The alternation of two tunes gives enough variety to permit a dance to be extended for as long as maybe required.

Ternary formMain article: Ternary formThis form has three parts. In Western classical music a simple ternary form has a third section that is arecapitulation of the first (ABA). Often, the first section is repeated (AABA). This approach was popular in the 18th-century operatic aria,[citation needed ] and was called da capo (i.e. "repeat from the top") form. Later,it gave rise to the 32-bar song, with the B section then often referred to as the "middle eight". A song hasmore need than a dance of a self-contained form with a beginning and an end.

Rondo formMain article: Rondo formThis form has a recurring theme alternating with different (usually contrasting) sections called "episodes".It may be asymmetrical (ABACADAEA) or symmetrical (ABACABAC). A recurring section, especiallythe main theme, is sometimes more thoroughly varied, or else one episode may be a "development" of it.A similar arrangement is the ritornello form of the Baroque concerto grosso. Arch form (ABCBA)resembles a symmetrical rondo without intermediate repetitions of the main theme.

Variational formMain article: Variation (music)Variational forms are those in which variation is an important formative element.Theme and Variations: a theme, which in itself can be of any shorter form (binary, ternary, etc.), forms

the only "section" and is repeated indefinitely (as in strophic form) but is varied each time(AA1A2A3A4A5A6), so as to make a sort of sectional chain form. An important variant of this, much used in17th-century British music and in the Passacaglia and Chaconne, was that of the ground bass - arepeating bass theme or basso ostinato over and around which the rest of the structure unfolds, often,but not always, spinning polyphonic or contrapuntal threads, or improvising divisions and descants. Thisis said by Scholes (1977) to be the form par excellence of unaccompanied or accompanied soloinstrumental music. The Rondo is often found with sections varied (AA1BA2CA3BA4) or (ABA1CA2B1A).

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Developmental formMain article: Musical development Developmental forms are built directly from smaller units, such as motifs, combined and worked out indifferent ways, perhaps having a symmetrical or arch-like underpinning and a progressive developmentfrom beginning to end. By far the most important in Western classical music is;

Sonata formMain article: Sonata formThis form, also known as sonata allegro form, first movement form, compound binary, ternary and a

variety of other names,

[example needed ]

developed from the binary-formed dance movement described abovebut is almost always cast in a greater ternary form having the nominal subdivisions of Exposition,Development and Recapitulation. Usually, but not always, the "A" parts (Exposition and Recapitulation, respectively) may be subdivided into two or three themes or theme groups which are taken asunder andrecombined to form the "B" part (theDevelopment) - thus e. g. (AabB[dev. of a and/or b]A1ab1+coda).This developmental form is generally confined to certain sections of the piece, as to the middle section of the first movement of a sonata, though nineteenth-century composers such as Berlioz, Liszt and Wagner made valiant efforts to derive large-scale works purely or mainly from the motif.Chester (1970) distinguished this as "extensional music", that "produced by starting with smallcomponents - rhythmic or melodic motifs, perhaps - and then 'developing' these through techniques of modification and combination." "Intensional music", meanwhile, "starts with a framework - a chordsequence, a melodic outline, a rhythmic pattern - and then extends itself by repeating the framework withperpetually varied inflections to the details filling it in."

Cyclical formsOpera was originally modelled upon classical drama and takes much of its form from its libretto andnarrative. For many years, ballet was a component of opera, not in itself narrative, but having the form of a suite of set dances included at some appropriate moment in the story such as a festival or wedding. Itemerged as a separate form, supplying its own narrative or representation, during the 19th-century.[citation

needed ]At the same time, the song cycle emerged, which is a set of related songs (as the suite is a set of related dances). The oratorio took shape as a narrative, often religious,[citation needed ] recounted—rather thanacted—by the singers.The sonata, symphony, and concerto were all developed by the great composers of the Viennese school(Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven) along the same formal lines into distinctively musical forms limited littleby the forms of song, dance or ceremony. Other forms of music, such as the Catholic mass and requiem,are largely shaped by and subordinated to their texts and ceremonial functions.

More recent developmentsA common idea is the depth of layers of form necessary for complexity, in which foregrounded detailevents occur against a more structural background, as in Schenkerian analysis.[citation needed ] Composer and music theorist Professor Fred Lerdahl, among others,[who else? ] argues that popular music lacks thestructural complexity of multiple structural layers and thus lacks depth.[10] However, Lerdahl's theoriesexplicitly exclude associational details which are used to help articulate form in popular music; thetheories of which are analyzed in music theorist and musicologist Allen Forte's book, The Structure of  Atonal Music .[11]

Western classical music is the apodigm of the extensional form of musical construction. Theme and

variations, counterpoint, tonality (as used in classical composition) are all devices that builddiachronically and synchronically outwards from basic musical atoms. The complex is created bycombination of the simple, which remains discrete and unchanged in the complex unity...If those criticswho maintain the greater complexity of classical music specified that they had in mindthis extensional development, they would be quite correct...Rock however follows, like many non-European musics, the path of intensional development. In this mode of construction, the basic musicalunits (played/sung notes) are not combined through space and time as simple elements into complexstructures. The simple entity is that constituted by the parameters of melody, harmony, and beat, whilethe complex is built up by modulation of the basic notes, and by inflexion of the basic beat. All existinggenres and sub-types of the Afro-American tradition show various forms of combined intensional andextensional development.—Chester 1970, p.78-9Similarly, Middleton maintains that "syntactic music" is centered on notation and "the hierarchic

organization of quasilinguistic elements and their putting together (com-position) in line with systems of norms, expectations, surprises, tensions and resolutions. The resulting aesthetic is one of 'embodiedmeaning.'" on the other hand, non-notated music and performance "foreground process and areconcerned with gesture, physical feel, the immediate moment, improvisation; the resulting aesthetic isone of 'engendered feeling' and is unsuited to the application of 'syntactic' criteria."

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Connection and contrast may be achieved in new ways. Procedures of connectioninclude: gradation, amalgamation, and dissolution. Procedures of contrast include:stratification, juxtaposition, and interpolation.Especially recently,[as of? ] more segmented approaches have been taken through the use of stratification, superimposition, juxtaposition, interpolation, and other interruptions and simultaneities.Examples include the postmodern "block" technique used by composers such asJohn Zorn, where rather than organic development, one follows separate units in various combinations. These techniques may beused to create contrast to the point of disjointed chaotic textures, or, through repetition and returnand transitional procedures such as dissolution, amalgamation, and gradation, may createconnectedness and unity. Composers have also made more use of open forms such as producedby aleatoric devices and other chance procedures, improvisation, and some processes.

References1. ^ Schmidt-Jones, Catherine (11 March 2011). "Form in Music". Connexions. Retrieved 11

September 2011.

2. ^ Brandt, Anthony (11 January 2007). "Musical Form". Connexions. Retrieved 11 September 2011.

3. ^ Scholes, Percy A. (1977). "Form". The Oxford Companion to Music (10 ed.). Oxford University

Press.

4. ^ Middleton, Richard (1999). "Form". In Horner, Bruce; Swiss, Thomas. Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Malden, Massachusetts:Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-21263-9.

5. ^ Macpherson, Stewart (1930). "Form". Form in Music (New and Revised ed.). London: Joseph

Williams.

6. ^ Macpherson, Stewart (1930). "Form". Form in Music (New and Revised ed.). London: Joseph

Williams.

7. ^ Mann, Alfred (1958). The Study of Fugue. W.W.Norton and Co. Inc..

8. ^ Keil, Charles (1966). Urban blues. ISBN 0226429601.

9. ^ Wennerstrom, Mary (1975). "Form in Twentieth Century Music". In Wittlich, Gary. Aspects of 

Twentieth-Century Music . Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-049346-5.

10. ^ Lerdahl, Fred (1992). "Cognitive Constraints on Compositional Systems". Contemporary Music 

Review  6 (2): 97–121.

11. ^ Forte, Allen (1973). The Structure of Atonal Music . New Haven: Yale University

Press. ISBN 9780300021202.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_form

Musical Modulation - - What is it?

Key Center. First let me introduce the concept of a key center. The keycenter in music is a tone that usually sounds in the bass part at thebeginning and the end of a piece of music. It serves as a foundation. This

foundation note has various names: the tonic, the keynote. In a major keyit is "do" of the familiar do-re-mi. In a minor key, the foundation note is"la." The tonic may appear as the first note of the melody. If not, then thefirst note of the melody will usually be a major third or perfect fifth abovethe key center. (mi or so in a major key) The first chord of a piece usuallyhas the same name as the key center. The first melody note will often beone of the tones of this chord. The chord and the key center are alsoreferred to as "I" or tonic.

 The I chord (or tonic chord) is made up of do, mi, and so. Thesyllable do is the first tone of the major scale. Mi is the third; so is thefifth.. The tones do mi and so help to establish the key center.

So modulation in music is the changing of a key center. For example, if apiece of music may start out in the key of A major, but then modulate,

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say, to C major. This means that the tonal center of the piece haschanged from A to C. (Note: if I don't say "major" or "minor," you canassume I mean "major" in this series of lessons.) Consider the syllables:do - re - mi - fa- so"? These are the first 5 tone of the key (or scale). In thekey of A, do=A. In the key of C, do=C. Often a composer will indicate anew key signature to show that a modulation has taken place. Butsometimes the composer will not change the key signature (especially if the modulation is temporary) but will show the modulationwith accidentals.

Why modulation in music is useful. Modulation is useful because itgives music a fresh sound. Every key center has a unique quality. Somethink that keys with sharps in the key signature seem to have a brighterfeel. And keys with flats seem to be more mellow. Even if you transposethe music exactly into a new key, you have introduced an element of variety. At the same time you have unity, because of the repetition of themelody, rhythm, and functional chords. (Note that when you repeat music

in a new key, the chord letter names have changed, but the functionalnames of the chords have not changed . A I chord is still a I chord in thenew key.

Classical composers often followed a formula where a piece of music hadthree sections, named like this:

I. ExpositionII. DevelopmentIII. Recapitulation

 The Exposition would, itself, be broken up into 2 parts. The first part of the Exposition would be in the original key. The second half of theExposition would move to a new key, often the key of dominant chord.

 The Development section would modulate to various keys asit developed the ideas in the Exposition. A modulation would then occurback to the original key upon the start of the Recapitulation. TheRecapitulation section would repeat the Exposition (sometimes with slightvariations) but this time the second part of the Exposition would stay in

the original key instead of modulating away from it. By not modulatingaway in the Recaptulation, the composers helped to keep the sense of the original key and to bring the piece (or "movement") to a strongconclusion.

As a rule of thumb, if a piece modulates away from the original key, it willusually return to that key by the end of the tune.

How to Modulate in Music

Modulation usually involves the use of the dominant chord. Before I gointo that, I will review all the main chords in a major key. If you alreadyknow this, you can skip ahead to Modulating with the Dominant Chord .

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 There are 7 main scale steps or tones in a key. They are sometimescalled do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti or they are just given numbers: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7.We can build a chord on each of these scale steps. For now, I'll just talkabout triads, which are three-note chords. This table shows the seventriads in the key of C. Notice that I am showing the functional names,letter names and chord tones for each triad..

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Main Triads in the Key of C Major

Scale Step Letter Name Functional Name Chord Tones

Chord

 Type

1 C tonic 1-3-5do-mi-so

Major

2 D supertonic2-4-6

re-fa-laMinor

3 E mediant3-5-7

mi-so-tiMinor

4 F subdominant4-6-1

fa-la-doMajor

5 G dominant5-7-2

so-ti-reMajor

6 A submediant6-1-3

la-do-miMinor

7 B leading tone7-2-4

ti-re-fa

Diminishe

d

Only one thing changes about the chord facts when a key changes. Theonly thing that changes is the letter name of each chord. For example,look at these 7 chords in the key of A major.

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Triads in the Key of A Major

Scale Step Letter Name Functional Name Chord TonesChord

 Type

1 A tonic 1-3-5do-mi-so

Major

2 B supertonic2-4-6

re-fa-laMinor

3 C# mediant3-5-7

mi-so-tiMinor

4 D subdominant4-6-1

fa-la-do Major

5 E dominant5-7-2

so-ti-reMajor

6 F# submediant6-1-3

la-do-miMinor

7 G# leading tone7-2-4

ti-re-fa

Diminishe

d

 

Fill in the blank. When a key center changes, the letter names ______________ (change/do not change).

But the functional names ______________(change/do not change).

In the key of A major, the functional name for the I chord is ___________.

 The letter name for the I chord in the key of A major is ____:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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When a key center changes, the letter names do not change.But the functional names change.In the key of A major, the functional name for the I chord is tonic.

 The letter name for the I chord in the key of A major is "A."

Modulating with the Dominant Chord. You can always modulate to anew key simply by introducing the dominant chord (V chord) of the newkey and then the I chord of the new key. For example, if you aremodulating to the key of G, you would sound a D chord and then a Gchord. To make the modulation more convincing, you can use adominant-seventh chord (V7) instead of just a dominant triad. In otherwords, you would sound a D7 chord. You might also use variousalterations of the dominant chord (to be discussed in a future lesson.)

A dominant triad has just 3 tone; a dominant-seventh chord has fourtones. The fourth tone is a minor 7th above the root of the chord. The V7chord for G is D7 (the tones are: D, F#, A, C) The "C" is the 7th of thechord. A V7 chord in a major key is always made up of the tones so, ti, re,fa (scale steps 5, 7 2, 4).

(If you are having difficulty understanding dominant seventh chords, youmay want to see Chapter 8 in What Makes Music Work which has a moredetailed explanation.

Although you can always modulate in this way, if you want a smoothmodulation it helps to make sure that the chord that comes just beforethe V7 chord belongs to both keys. This chord is called the "pivot" chordsince it helps in helps in smoothly pivoting from the original key to thenew one. An example will help to make this clear.

Suppose you are in the key of D and you want to modulate to A. Thismodulation is easy since D is both the I chord in D and the IV chord in A.So to modulate to A you could use the chords D - E7 - A. The table belowshows how D is both the I chord in D and the IV chord in A.

D E7 A

Key of D I - -

Key of A IV V I

 The D chord uses do, mi, so in the key of D and fa, la, do in the key of A.

Progress check : which chord above is a pivot chord?

- - - - - -

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 The pivot chord is D since it appears in both keys.

 You can often get a smooth modulation without thinking much aboutpivot chords. Just try ii-V-Iin the new key and see if it sounds good. For

example, if you are in D and you want to go to G, you could try thechords D Am, D7 G. If you analyze it will find

D Am E7 A

Key of D I v - -

Key of A IV ii V I

Notice that Am is analyzed as being "v". This lowercase "v" shows thatthe chord is built on the fifth degree of the key and that it isa minor chord. The Am chord doesn't occur in the key of Amajor, but itdoes occur in the key of A minor. When using a chord as a pivot chord, itis fine if it belongs to either the major or the parallel minor version of thekey center.

If you try ii - V - I in the new key and it doesn't sound quite right, that'swhen it is time to insert a pivot chord to smooth out the modulation. Forexample suppose you are in the Key of C and you want to modulateo toB. You might try:

C - C#m -F#7 - B

 This is not so smooth since the C#m chord does not exist in C major or Cminor. Although this progression is possible, a smoother progressionwould be:

C - Em- F#7 - B

See if you can analyze it and identify the pivot chord. (Fill out the coloredparts of the table)

C Emi F#7 B

Key of 

C

Key of B

 

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Check your answer below:-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

C Em F#7 B

Key

of CI iii - -

Key

of B  iv V7 I

 The Em chord is the pivot chord since it exists in both keys. Notice thatEm is borrowed from B minor. Strictly speaking, B Major does not have aE minor chord, but as I pointed out earlier, it is common practice toborrow chords from the parallel minor key.

Subdominant based modulation. Another technique is to basemodulation around the subdominant chord. The idea is to use iv of theoriginal key as the pivot chord when modulating to a key with more flatsor fewer sharps. Note that iv, here, designates a minor chord (since it

written with lowercase letters.). If you are in a major key, you can still useiv; you are just borrowing the iv from the parallel minor scale. Forexample, when modulating from C to E-flat, you would use Fm as thepivot chord. The progression might be:

C - Fm - B-flat7 - E-flat

Fill in the blank . Fm is the pivot chord because Fm is iv (minorsubdominant) in the original key, but in the new key of E-flat it is ________.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the new key, Fm is ii. This happens to give a nice ii-V7-I in the new key.

But suppose you are modulating in the other direction. That is, you aremodulating to a key with more sharps (or fewer flats)?

When modulating to a new with more sharps or fewer flats, use the IV oriv chord of the new key as the pivot chord.

Let's try C to E. C has no sharps. E has 4 sharps. What chords would youuse? What would the pivot chord be? Since you are modulating to a keywith more sharps, you would use the subdominant of E as the pivotchord.

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Fill out the table below:

C

Key of C

Key of E

Check your answer below:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

C Am B7 E

Key of C I vi - -

Key of E iv V I

 

Half-step Up. Popular music sometimes jumps up to a key a half-stephigher than the original key when repeating. This is done without anyattempt at a smooth modulation. As a general rule, chord changesinvolving a half-step movement produce a good effect. (Other examplesinvolving half-step changes are the Neopolitan, German, Italian andFrench 6th chords -- to be discussed in a future lesson.)

Suppose a tune in the key of E comes to the end of section. You want to

repeat everything exactly but in a higher key for a brighter effect. Youcould suddenly switch to the key of ________ (fill in the blank)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 You could jump to the key of F.

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Dramatic Modulations. You can often achieve a dramatic modulationsby using an "usual" 6th chord as a pivot chord. Unusual 6th chords arethe Neopolitan 6th, French 6th, German 6th and Italian 6th chords. I'lldiscuss these chords in a future lesson. To whet your appetite, here is anexample:

 To modulate from C to B major.

C - C/E - F# - B

NOTE: C/E means C chord with E in the bass part.

C/E is tonic in the key of C, but a Neopolitan 6th in the key of B Major.

 This finishes this lesson on modulation. One last progress check Fill in

each blank with either the word unity or variety. .

Modulation is one of the powerful techniques for adding _____ to musicwhile still preserving _____.

- - - - - - - -

Answer: modulation gives variety while preserving unity.

Suggested activities: compose a tune that modulates in the middlesection. Use pivot chords. Modulate back to the original key at the end of the piece. Find some pieces or songs that use modulation.Analyze themodulation and find out what chord is used as the pivot chord.

http://www.lovemusiclovedance.com/modulation.htm

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Sequences

A real sequence is a sequence where the subsequent segments areexact transpositions of the first segment. A tonal sequence is asequence where the subsequent segments are diatonic transpositionsof the first segments. A modified sequence is a sequence where the

subsequent segments are decorated or embellished so as to notdestroy the character of the original segment. A false sequence is aliteral repetition of the beginning of a figure and stating the rest insequence.[1] A modulating sequence is a sequence that leads fromone tonal center to the next, with each segment technically being in adifferent key in some sequences.[2]

A sequence can be described according to its direction (ascending ordescending in pitch) and its adherence to the diatonic scale—that is,

the sequence is diatonic if the pitches remain within the scale, orchromatic (or non-diatonic) if pitches outside of the diatonic scale areused and especially if all pitches are shifted by exactly thesame interval (i.e., they are transposed). The non-diatonic sequencetends to modulateto a new tonality or to cause temporarilytonicisation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequence_(music)