Comments on: dominant chords http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/ transfusing emptiness into vacancy Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:08:00 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Rob http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/comment-page-1/#comment-29 Rob Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:17:35 +0000 http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/#comment-29 So the copout answer is hell no there aren't any rules, this is jazz. But it's more subtle than that really. I can probably find you an example of standards modulating into every possible key if I work at it long enough. So from the point of view of the composer, it's pretty wide open. For modulation at the initiative of the performer, the typical thing is going up, and by small distances. The more daring go up by larger distances. Hardly anyone modulates downward. So of course, I had to do it just to be perverse when I recorded <a href-"/2006/08/11/video-round-midnight/" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">'Round Midnight</a> for Youtube. And to your question about getting back home again, if you go up by an even number of semitones, there's always a circle-of-fifths path back to tonic. Not a rule, just an observation. Some people play On Green Dolphin Street in C, some in Eb. We used to split the difference by playing the first half in C and the second in Eb. Because of that, the last bar of each section had to belong to the key of the next section, not to the key of its section. Does that make sense? It's not about where you're at, it's about where you're going. So the copout answer is hell no there aren’t any rules, this is jazz. But it’s more subtle than that really.

I can probably find you an example of standards modulating into every possible key if I work at it long enough. So from the point of view of the composer, it’s pretty wide open. For modulation at the initiative of the performer, the typical thing is going up, and by small distances. The more daring go up by larger distances. Hardly anyone modulates downward.

So of course, I had to do it just to be perverse when I recorded ‘Round Midnight for Youtube.

And to your question about getting back home again, if you go up by an even number of semitones, there’s always a circle-of-fifths path back to tonic. Not a rule, just an observation.

Some people play On Green Dolphin Street in C, some in Eb. We used to split the difference by playing the first half in C and the second in Eb. Because of that, the last bar of each section had to belong to the key of the next section, not to the key of its section. Does that make sense?

It’s not about where you’re at, it’s about where you’re going.

]]> By: whitecraneboxing http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/comment-page-1/#comment-28 whitecraneboxing Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:03:43 +0000 http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/#comment-28 Are there any 'rules' for what key modulations sound better? Or when to insert them during a melody? Do you modulate back to the orginal key with a dominant chord that goes to the I of the original key, or can it be any maj chord ? Thanks Rob! Are there any ‘rules’ for what key modulations sound better? Or when to insert them during a melody? Do you modulate back to the orginal key with a dominant chord that goes to the I of the original key, or can it be any maj chord ? Thanks Rob!

]]> By: Rob http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/comment-page-1/#comment-26 Rob Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:38:44 +0000 http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/#comment-26 It sounds like you understand modulation quite well already. It's just the movement to another key center within a song. It can be a temporary or permanent modulation. The permanent "key change" sort is kind of a cliche in commercial music (for a gleeful celebration of this, refer to http://www.gearchange.org/). The key here, and sorry if I was unclear in the article, is that the modulation is set up by introducing the dominant chord <strong>of the new key</strong>. This is especially true of the gear change version. Modulations can happen as a part of the original form, like how "I Love You" has a phrase that modulates up a major third. But as you learned from Mr. Evans, the performer has discretion as well. It is a dramatic effect, even if it has been extensively abused (a mentor of mine used to say "a cliche is a cliche because it works.") Brad who? (just kidding, please don't smite me O music gods) It sounds like you understand modulation quite well already. It’s just the movement to another key center within a song. It can be a temporary or permanent modulation. The permanent “key change” sort is kind of a cliche in commercial music (for a gleeful celebration of this, refer to http://www.gearchange.org/).

The key here, and sorry if I was unclear in the article, is that the modulation is set up by introducing the dominant chord of the new key. This is especially true of the gear change version.

Modulations can happen as a part of the original form, like how “I Love You” has a phrase that modulates up a major third. But as you learned from Mr. Evans, the performer has discretion as well. It is a dramatic effect, even if it has been extensively abused (a mentor of mine used to say “a cliche is a cliche because it works.”)

Brad who? (just kidding, please don’t smite me O music gods)

]]> By: whitecraneboxing http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/comment-page-1/#comment-25 whitecraneboxing Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:50:26 +0000 http://music.linear1.org/2006/10/25/dominant-chords/#comment-25 Nice post! These articles are amazing. Can you elaborate more on the topic of 'Modulation'. I hear it mentioned casually quite often and I understand that it refers to movement to a different related key but thats all I know. What kind of relationship do these keys have and is the dominant chord that you use to set them up in the original key? Do all songs have modulations in their orginal form or are they usually added to give color and variation to the piece? (ie: It says in the liner notes of his solo album, Alone, that Bill Evans modulated to several different keys all while he performs the same song, Never Let Me Go. I also remember reading Larry Grenadier saying that one of the reasons playing with Brad Mehldau was a challenge was b/c Brad was always 'modulating' in the middle of the song) Nice post! These articles are amazing. Can you elaborate more on the topic of ‘Modulation’. I hear it mentioned casually quite often and I understand that it refers to movement to a different related key but thats all I know. What kind of relationship do these keys have and is the dominant chord that you use to set them up in the original key?

Do all songs have modulations in their orginal form or are they usually added to give color and variation to the piece? (ie: It says in the liner notes of his solo album, Alone, that Bill Evans modulated to several different keys all while he performs the same song, Never Let Me Go. I also remember reading Larry Grenadier saying that one of the reasons playing with Brad Mehldau was a challenge was b/c Brad was always ‘modulating’ in the middle of the song)

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