Modulation (music) facts for kids

Key signature change example: C major to C minor.

In music, modulation means that the music changes its main key. Think of a song that starts in the "key of C major." This means it mostly uses the notes from a C major scale. The note C feels like the "home" note, also called the "tonic."

Then, the music might modulate to G major. Now, the note G feels like the new "home" note. The song will start using notes from a G major scale, like F sharp instead of F natural. This change makes the music sound fresh and interesting!

Why Music Changes Keys

Changing keys, or modulating, is very common in music. It adds variety and helps shape the song. When music moves to a new key, it can create a feeling of excitement or tension. When it finally returns to the original key, it feels like coming home.

Some key changes are more common than others:

• To the dominant: This is when the music moves to the key of the 5th note of the original scale. For example, from C major to G major (because G is the 5th note of C).
• To the subdominant: This is when the music moves to the key of the 4th note of the original scale. For example, from C major to F major (because F is the 4th note of C).
• To the relative minor: Every major key has a "relative minor" key that shares the same notes. For example, C major can modulate to A minor.

What is a Chromatic Modulation?

Sometimes, music changes to a key that is not closely related to the original. This is called a "chromatic modulation." For example, if a song in C major suddenly changes to A flat major, that's a chromatic modulation. This is because A flat is not a note found in the C major scale. These types of modulations can sound more surprising or dramatic.

Most long pieces of music will use modulation. It keeps the listener interested and helps the music tell a story.

Related topics

• Tonality

Images for kids

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  Example of modulation from the tonic to the dominant.

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  Common-chord modulation in the opening of Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20.

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  Common-chord modulation in Tchaikovsky's Album pour enfants (1887), Op. 39, No. 10, Mazurka

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  Common-chord modulation in the opening of Mozart's, Sonata in D Major, K. 284, III

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  Modulation from D major to D♭ major in Schubert's Op. 9, No. 14, D. 365, mm. 17–24, using the German sixth, in the new key, that is enharmonic to the dominant seventh in the old key.

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  Modulation from A minor to E♭ minor in Schubert's Op.29, D. 804, I, mm.144-49, using vii^o7: G♯^o7 ≡ D^o7 (≡ B^o7 ≡ F^o7)

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  Modulation between relative keys, C minor and E♭ major, using a common tone, G, in Schubert's Op. 163 (D. 956).

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  Common-tone modulation between chromatic mediants in Mozart's K.475

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  Chromatic modulation in Bach's Du grosser Schmerzensmann, BWV 300, mm. 5–6 ( with half cadence, with PAC) transitions from F major to D minor through the inflection of C♮ to C♯ between the second and third chords. Note that there is no common chord.

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  Phrase modulation in Mozart's Sonata in A major, K.331, III (Alla turca), mm. 6–10.

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  Sequential modulation in Beethoven's Sonata Op. 53, movement I

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  Sequential modulation in Schubert's Piano Sonata in E Major, D. 459, movement III

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  Sequential modulation through the circle of fifths in Quartet Op. 3, No. 3, IV, Hob. III:15, formerly attributed to Haydn (ca. 1840)

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  Modulation up a whole step at the end of "Because the Night"

See also

In Spanish: Modulación (música) para niños