# Modulation?



## fortyfourcaliber

Wasn't sure where to post this... but here it is.

I'm not very well-versed in classical music, and I know very basic theory. I play metal but love classical music whenever I find something I like and try to apply those things into my own songwriting.

The other day I saw the movie Skyfall and really liked a score that played several times throughout the movie. So then I Youtubed it and tried to analyze the song. If anyone could please enlighten me with some input...






From 0:09 - 0:26 it sounds like Gm with some chromatic melodies.

What key is it playing from 0:28 - 0:37?

Then from 0:37 it plays some rather metal sounding riffs that modulate up a m3 three times then goes into the next measure at 0:49 where Dbm goes up m3 again into Ebm.

Then in 1:08 it modulates into Em and then ends. I think the transition here sounds good - but why? In Ebm it stays a i (Ebm) and then goes into VI (C) - V (B) in Em. Is there a relationship between Ebm and C? Or do half-step key changes normally just sound good?

Obviously I have no idea what's going on. I'm hoping to find patterns in how well keys go together. Or how to modulate by matching chords.

Any ideas?


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## PetrB

the 'mediant' relationship, the iii [mediant] or vi [sub-mediant] of a key, is a common modulation, and a very common way of 'moving around' in a longer piece. The classical era 'did it,' the romantic did it in spades, and it tends to be the way both John Adams and Philip Glass 'move around' as well.

In C minor, Eb is that mediant iii.... common to the I chord are Eb and G, the fifth of Eb chord (Bb) is the minor 7th of C minor.
Likewise the sub-mediant vi chord, Ab C Eb, has two pitches in common with the C chord.


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## Jord

fortyfourcaliber said:


> Then from 0:37 it plays some rather metal sounding riffs that modulate up a m3 three times then goes into the next measure at 0:49 where Dbm goes up m3 again into Ebm.
> 
> Any ideas?


Another interesting way of modulating through 3rd is using diminished chords, R b3 b5 bb7, every interval is a minor 3rd and can lead into any key a semitone above one note, for example B Diminished (B D F Ab) can lead into C D# F# and A, it just depends on which voicing of the chord you use, say if you were in C major, the VII chord being a Bm7b5 this would be one note off being diminished so if you flatten the 7th it because B diminished (B, D, F, A - B, D, F, Ab)
Then from here go from B diminished to D diminished (D, F, Ab, Cb) same notes enharmonically of B diminished, then from there you could go into Eb.


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## Jord

Also when modulating in classical common ways to modulate are keys which have similar key signatures, F (1 flat) - Bb (2 flats)

First you need to know cadences (I'm sorry if you already know this) :lol:
Perfect - V - I
Imperfect - Any - V (commonly I - V)
Plagal - IV - I
Interrupted - V - VI

Common keys to modulate to are the dominant, sub dominant and relative major/minor, and it's a challenge and fun trying to figure out ways to modulate.
an example could be in a piece i'm writing, I went from Dm - F possibly C 
(Dm - A(2nd inv) - Gm(2nd inv) - C) goes to the dominant of the relative major and also a perfect cadence from Gm to C, not really a perfect cadence but still V - I so then i could go off in C or F, but i use an interrupted cadence as if I'm in F major from C to Dm going back into Dm


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## etkearne

Yes. Modulating is pretty fun. I have been trying to see how quickly (but smoothly - that's the "key" haha) I can get between two distant keys with at least three sharps or flats different. You tend to have to use secondary dominants to get it to work well and sound nice. In a textbook I am reading (Tonal Harmony - Kostka and Payne) they mention cases of using the Neopolitan Chord (bII) to get to distant keys. I want to think up a case for that and give it a go to see if it sounds better than any other way. The Neopolitan is basically just a diminished second in minor lowered a half step in the root, so it makes sense on paper.

I also actually like direct modulation through using common phrase sequences. It can be great for two distantly related keys if you want to jolt the new key into action, say if you are going from C Minor to F Sharp Major (a tritone apart of course).


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## millionrainbows

fortyfourcaliber said:


> Wasn't sure where to post this... but here it is.
> 
> I'm not very well-versed in classical music, and I know very basic theory. I play metal but love classical music whenever I find something I like and try to apply those things into my own songwriting.


You need to get a keyboard of some sort, or you will not "see" these relationships on a guitar, metal-man.



fortyfourcaliber said:


> The other day I saw the movie Skyfall and really liked a score that played several times throughout the movie. So then I Youtubed it and tried to analyze the song. If anyone could please enlighten me with some input...
> From 0:09 - 0:26 it sounds like Gm with some chromatic melodies.


Yes, it starts in GM, then he's bouncing around with that motive, the old familiar James Bond theme: G-Bb-D/G-Bb-Eb/G-Bb-E/G-Bb-Eb, etc. That movement of one note creates the chords Gmin-Ebmaj-C7.

See how that note moves up and down? The familiar JB theme.

On guitar, it used to be Emin-Cmaj-A7-Cmaj-Em. Recognize it now?



fortyfourcaliber said:


> What key is it playing from 0:28 - 0:37?


Then it goes to a C minor area, by using that C7 mentioned above. It turns it minor. That's one way to "modulate": just change it to minor. Quick and easy: hey, this is a movie, not a 30-minute symphony; we don't have much time.

In fact, this is a crummy example with which to study modulation, because most of this is not modulation. It's a soundtrack, and changes very quickly. If you were in a class, you'd study something easier, or less quickly-changing. JOIN A CLASS, GET A PIANO.



fortyfourcaliber said:


> Then from 0:37 it plays some rather metal sounding riffs that modulate up a m3 three times then goes into the next measure at 0:49 *where Dbm goes up m3 again into Ebm.*


*Db-Eb is not a m3.* "Metal sounding riffs?" Just because it is rhythmic! I see. All he's doing here is parallel chord movement, "jumping" by minor 3rds, like Debussy used to do. This is not modulation, this is "jumping" and breaking the rules, called "parallel chord movement."

From :54 to 1:08 it is doing the same, repeating Db minor/E minor several times.



fortyfourcaliber said:


> Then in 1:08 it modulates into Em * and then ends. I think the transition here * sounds good - but why?


That's a vague question, be more precise. I don't know what you mean by "the transition here." The piece has already ended on E minor, remember?



fortyfourcaliber said:


> In Ebm it stays a i (Ebm) and then goes into VI (C) - V (B) in Em.


Don't try to analyze it if you don't know what it is.



fortyfourcaliber said:


> Is there a relationship between Ebm and C? Or do half-step key changes normally just sound good?


This is confusing, and imprecise. I'm not sure what you are talking about. *Eb min-C is not a half-step. These are not key changes.*



fortyfourcaliber said:


> Obviously I have no idea what's going on. I'm hoping to find patterns in how well keys go together. Or how to modulate by matching chords. Any ideas?


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## kamalayka

http://www.harmony.org.uk/book/modulation_basics.htm


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