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Modulation (music)
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==Common modulations <span class="anchor" id="Common"></span>== [[File:Pitch class space star.svg|thumb|right|The circle of fifths drawn within the chromatic circle as a [[dodecagram]]<ref>"Prelude to Musical Geometry", p. 364, Brian J. McCartin, ''The College Mathematics Journal'', Vol. 29, No. 5 (Nov., 1998), pp. 354β70. [http://www.maa.org/pubs/cmj_Nov98.html (abstract)] [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2687250 (JSTOR)].</ref>]] [[File:Truck driver's gear change Because the Night.png|thumb|Modulation up a whole step at the end of "[[Because the Night]]" {{audio|Truck driver's gear change Because the Night.mid|Play}}]] The most common modulations are to [[closely related key]]s (I, V, IV, vi, iii, ii).<ref name="B&S">Benward & Saker (2003). ''Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I'', p. 243. 7th edition. McGraw-Hill. {{ISBN|978-0-07-294262-0}}. "Most modulations occur between ''closely related keys'', which are those keys that differ by no more than one accidental in the key signature."</ref> V (dominant) is the most frequent goal and, in minor, III ([[relative key]]) is also a common goal.<ref>Forte (1979), p. 269.</ref> Modulation to the [[dominant (music)|dominant]] or the [[subdominant]] is relatively simple as they are adjacent steps on the [[circle of fifths]]. Modulations to the [[relative major or minor]] are also simple, as these keys share all pitches in common. Modulation to distantly related keys is often done smoothly through using chords in successive related keys, such as through the circle of fifths, the entirety of which may be used in either direction: :D β A β E β B/C{{music|flat}} β F{{music|sharp}}/G{{music|flat}} β C{{music|sharp}}/D{{music|flat}} β G{{music|sharp}}/A{{music|flat}} β D{{music|sharp}}/E{{music|flat}} β A{{music|sharp}}/B{{music|flat}} β F β C β G β D If a given key were G major, the following chart could be used: :{|style="text-align:center" | C | β |bgcolor=#ffff99| '''G''' | β | D |} From G (which is the given key), a musician would go P5 (a perfect fifth) above G (which is D) and also P5 below G (which is C). From this, the musician would go to G major's relative minor which is E minor, and potentially to C major and D major's related minor as well (a musician who does not know the related minor for C and D major may also go P5 below or above E minor). :{|style="text-align:center" | C | β |bgcolor=#ffff99| '''G''' | β | D |- | {{vbar}} | | {{vbar}} | | {{vbar}} |- | Am | | Em | | Bm |} By using the relative minor keys one can find the specific key that the key can modulate into. Many musicians use the circle of fifths to find these keys and make similar charts to help with the modulation.
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