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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Key Changes
Key Changes
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nacoran
459 posts
Nov 27, 2009
2:45 PM
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I know some songs balance back and forth between two similar keys, C Major/A minor, or C Major/G Major, for example, but my friend and I were messing around with a more traditional, full on, key change. After some experimenting we used a C-D-E progression that seemed to work. We were trying to make the song sound like it was gaining energy as it went. The only example I can think of is Butthole Surfers' "Pepper".
So anyway, we tried following the circle of fifths and that didn't sound that good. It became clear to me I don't remember any theory on key changes. When are key changes useful? What intervals work well and in what context? How do you work them in? If you need to grab a different harp or two how do you get them ready so you have the right harp at the right time?
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mickil
661 posts
Nov 27, 2009
5:11 PM
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"When are key changes useful? What intervals work well and in what context? How do you work them in?"
That is the study of four-part harmony. Most people spend years trying to understand it, that is, beyond the I-IV-V of blues. The composer Eric Satie - of Trois Gymnopedie fame - went back to college when he was 40 because of his lack of understanding of the subject.
I don't think you'll find the quick answer you want. You either have to listen to music and work out the chords, or, do the same thing with the chords written down in front of you. Common patterns will emerge.
I may be wrong, but, I doubt that anyone has the time AND knowledge to give you an exhaustive list of all the harmonic conventions here. When I was a music undergraduate, most of my peers couldn't have answered your question. Not in a forum post, anyway.
It's not a small subject.
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nacoran
461 posts
Nov 27, 2009
5:42 PM
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Lol. Don't let that stop you from trying! I've been doing some further reading on Wikipedia. We'd figured out by accident that repeating the I to lead into the V worked and we sort of intuitively raised the key to add energy to the song. (Before that we had just been speeding up the tempo each time through the melody.) I wish I could find my old theory books.
I'd be happy if I could just figure out how to switch harmonicas faster. The tune uses 2 switches so I need three harps, maybe it's time to get a bandoleer. I suppose I can see if I can fit the F run on the high end of the C harp.
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GamblersHand
100 posts
Nov 28, 2009
6:01 AM
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I recommend Rikky Rooksby's book "How to Write Songs on Guitar" - he explains a lot of background theory in a very understandable way, including key changes.
As I understand it, you can just about move anywhere with the right modulation, although say a V, IV or VI (G, F or Am with respect to starting in C) are the easiest to move to. Throwing a diminished 7th into the song structure gives a lot of scope to modulate.
Soul music often uses a semitone or tone "lift", especially near the end, as you can hear in "I Try" (Macy Gray), but sometimes in songs just to give the chorus a lift - "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted", "So Lonely", "Going Underground" "Like Wow Wipeout" etc
This kind of shift is a bit discordant, but very rocknroll.
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Jim Rumbaugh
120 posts
Nov 28, 2009
4:53 PM
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If you are trying to "raise the energy" of the song, a common technique is to modulate up 1/2 step. You may try a whole step, to fit the harps you have.
And modulate up again for even more kick.
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