Modulation: establishing a new centre

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Scale families and changes

Modulation changes the tonal centre within music. One altered note or foreign chord need not establish a new key. Phrase direction, cadences and harmonic continuity can make the new centre convincing. Distinguish a brief tonicisation from a more sustained change of key.

A modulation need not be a semitone lift for the final chorus. Common chords, common tones and direct transitions offer different possibilities. Mark where the old centre weakens and where the new one gains stability; a signature change can help but does not replace listening.

Example

After a C-major context, a clearly established A-minor–D–G cadence can reinforce G as a new centre.

Try it

Does one foreign chord conclusively establish a new key?

Related topics

References

Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom

Subject-expert review pending.